Bruno Fernandes has showed his worth to Manchester United since joining from Sporting in January 2020, but contract talks between player and club have reportedly hit a bump in the road.
The Portugal international scored both of United's goals against Aston Villa on Saturday, taking his tally for the season up to seven for the season and 47 in total.
However, with a vast number of his colleagues earning more money, the 27-year-old had been pushing for an upgrade on his £100,000 a week basic salary.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the top earner when he returned to Old Trafford over the summer, and currently picks up four times as much as his compatriot, but the former Juventus forward isn't the only one making more than double Fernandes' current pay-packet.
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Fernandes has missed just two Premier League games since making his United debut, racking up 22 assists to go along with his 33 goals in the competition.
Now, according to The Athletic, the midfielder and his representatives turned down a new contract offer before the turn of the year.
Talks are not expected to resume until May, at which point United will know whether they have qualified for next season's Champions League.
According to the same report, Ronaldo is one of two members of the United squad currently earning more than three times as much as Fernandes, along with goalkeeper David de Gea.
While Fernandes is believed to want parity with the highest earners at Old Trafford, he is also thought to earn about half as much as several other players, though three of that group - Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani - are in the final year of their current deals.
Summer signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho both arrived on more than double the midfielder's six-figure salary, according to The Athletic, while England trio Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are also taking home much more than Fernandes.
While Fernandes' current deal runs until 2025, talks are expected to resume in May as United make progress to permanently resolving their managerial situation.
Ralf Rangnick is due to remain in temporary charge until the end of the current campaign, staying on in a consultancy role beyond that time as a new boss is appointed.
One of the names being considered is Ruben Amorim, who took charge of Sporting not long after Fernandes' exit and has led them into the last 16 of the Champions League, while Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag also remain on United's radar.
By May, any new incumbent will have learned whether or not they will be taking charge of a Champions League side, after Aston Villa's late comeback at Old Trafford on Saturday left Rangnick's team at risk of finishing outside the Premier League's top four.
