Man United and Man City top player wages table with league leaders Chelsea in third

CHELSEA might be top of the Premier League but they still trail in a lowly third behind their Manchester rivals when it comes to players’ wages.

WAGES: A run down of the club's wages has been released

The London club's annual accounts reveal their wage bill for the 2013-14 season was £190.5m, up eight per cent from £176m.

That is nearly £25m behind United, who are currently shelling out £214.8m followed by neighbours City, whose wage bill dropped last season to £205m.

Arsenal are next in the pay league with a total wage bill of £166.4m but amazingly Southampton - whose latest figures cover the 2012-13 season - were paying the comparatively modest sum of £47.1m a season.

Chelsea's accounts confirm the club's announcement in November that they made a £18.4m profit last season - but this was helped by a £65m profit in player sales after the deaprture of Juan Mata to United, David Luiz to Paris St Germain and Kevin de Bruyne to Wolfsburg.

It allowed the club to overturn a £49.4m loss on the season before and should ensure they comply with UEFA's financial fair play rules.