Gary Lineker has volunteered to take a pay cut on his £1,350,000-a-year contract in order to extend his stay with the BBC.
Lineker, 63, has entered negotiations with the broadcaster ahead his current deal expiring in 2025.
The future of the legendary Match of the Day presenter has been the subject of increasing speculation over the past few months, having hosted the BBC’s staple Premier League highlights show since 1999.
Talk of his potential replacement has been simmering but the Sun report that Lineker is now due to meet executives from the Beeb next month for talks over a new deal.
The contract would last at least two years and give him a new annual salary of £1m.
It’s added that negotiations have been briefly delayed due to the BBC’s decision to sack Lineker’s colleague, Jermaine Jenas. Former Tottenham midfielder Jenas, one of the names most heavily tipped to replace Lineker on MOTD, was sacked for sending inappropriate messages to women whom he was working alongside on The One Show.