Want the latest Scottish sport news sent straight to your inbox? Join thousands of others who have signed up to our Record Sport newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

RYAN GAULD will earn £3million in wages at Sporting Lisbon after becoming the club’s highest paid youngster ever.

The ex-Dundee United kid yesterday sealed a dream £2.2m move to Portugal that will see him earn more than former Sporting stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani did at the same age.

It is understood Gauld’s six-year deal is worth a whopping £8000 a week in his first year – after tax has been deducted.

That salary will increase by 10 per cent every 12 months before his contract is reviewed in 2017.

It is also understood Gauld will collect a stunning £100,000 bonus every year if Sporting Lisbon qualify for the Champions League. Winning the Portuguese title will pocket him £80,000, while a domestic cup success will see him pick up £60,000 extra.

Gauld will also receive bonuses for scoring between 1-10, 10-12 and 12-plus goals each season – a figure that will be doubled should he net in the Champions League.

The winger has yet to kick a ball for Sporting but they have already slapped a £47m release clause on his head.

And last night club president Bruno De Carvalho revealed they beat off competition from England’s top flight to land Gauld, who grew up in the tiny village of Laurencekirk.

De Carvalho said: “We can guarantee him time in our first-team squad and that wouldn’t have been easy in the Premier League.”

Meanwhile, Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson is understood to have knocked back a £1.5m bid from West Ham for Andrew Robertson. The full-back is also wanted by Everton.

The Tannadice chief admitted he was happy to seal the deal for Gauld and insisted it will increase United’s profile around Europe.

Thompson said: “This puts us on the map. How many times do you see a young homegrown Scottish player get a transfer like this? Not very often.

“It’s big news in Portugal and in England. I’ve been taking calls all day.

“In terms of marketing us as a place where talent is developed then sold on, this deal is very good for the club.

“It is also very good for our other young players. If Ryan can do it, they’ll want to.”

Thompson insisted it was a deal the club couldn’t refuse from a financial point of view.

But in the case of Robertson and others, he is adamant United’s best young talent will not be sold on the cheap.

He said: “This has been a very hard deal to close. It wasn’t until 2am on Wednesday that the contract got signed and even then there were a couple of things to do with his medical.

“As a fan I don’t want to see a player such as Ryan leave but this was a great move for him and us.

“A lot of work has been put into developing the likes of Ryan and getting them on long-term contracts so we can get a decent transfer fee. It’s about the business side of things as much as the football side.

“But we will sell players only if the price is right.”