Manchester City are third-highest paying club in the world

Manchester City are the third-highest paying football club in the world, according to a survey.

Research by sportingintelligence.com suggests that the Sky Blues' first-team players earn an average of £4.5m a year, an amount only Barcelona and Real Madrid can top.

Chelsea ranked just below City in fourth place, while rivals Manchester United came in 11th, with its players raking in an annual average of £3.34m.

City's meteoric rise up the chart since Sheikh Mansour's 2008 takeover was the survey's biggest talking point.

Roberto Mancini's side were in 86th when the report was first published in 2010, but they were on the verge of the top 10 last season, and now sit just behind the Spanish giants.