In order to prevent anyone in the Old Trafford locker room from being paid much more than their teammates, Manchester United has instituted the "Ronaldo rule."
Goalkeeper David de Gea will be the first to be affected by the ceiling on salaries, which will be set at £200,000 per week.
His current £375,000-per-week contract expires in the summer, and the Spaniard has been presented with a much more modest "take it or leave it" offer that is comparable to the one Bruno Fernandes signed for the previous campaign.
In comparison to the Ed Woodward era, when the club was willing to defy salary structures to sign big-name players like Ronaldo, United's new collective pay policy represents a significant sea change.
A culture of jealousy in the locker room is something that the current CEO Richard Arnold, director of football John Murtough, and manager Erik ten Hag seek to prevent.
Senior players in the squad are earning between £180,000 and £200,000 per week, like Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Casemiro, and now Fernandes, face penalties if they do not make the Champions League. Having more players paid at that level is the goal rather than spending £500,000 a week on a few superstar players.
De Gea, a United player since 2011, claimed last week that he is confident on signing a new contract extension at Old Trafford.
To maintain fairness, Luke Shaw, whose contract is set to expire in 2024, will be presented with comparable terms.
The highest in the Premier League, United's current annual salary cost was expected to be £228 million.
By ending Cristiano Ronaldo's contract, they were able to save £20 million a year and allow him to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nasr, but they still need to be careful not to violate Financial Fair Play rules.
However, given that Paris Saint-Germain would be willing to increase Marcus Rashford's salary, convincing him to re-sign at Old Trafford will be more difficult for United.
Rashford is currently in excellent goal-scoring form, but because his contract is also up in 18 months, club executives are reluctant to make any special exceptions. They are aware of how team spirit at United broke down after Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and the increased pay disparities that followed.
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