Gary Lineker is reportedly set to be offered a new contract by the BBC which will see his wages reduced significantly.
The presenter has been the face of the BBC’s flagship show Match of the Day since 1999 and gradually become the highest-paid individual at the company during that time as a result, but reports have claimed that his time with the broadcaster is now coming to an end.
It has been claimed that a split is on the cards at the end of the season and the BBC are already preparing their statement to announce that Lineker will leave, though a new deal now appears to be the likeliest outcome rather than a shock departure.
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According to The Telegraph, the 63-year-old is set to be offered a new contract with the BBC worth £1million-per-year. The deal would see Lineker’s wages drop significantly from his current £1.35m deal.
It is unclear whether the pundit would be willing to accept the pay cut, though he has publicly broken his silence on the new contract talks in the latest episode of his podcast The Rest Is Football.
Early in the show, Lineker was asked by Alan Shearer about his contract situation, comparing the saga to how Liverpool are currently dealing with three of their best players being in the final 12 months of their respective deals.
The ex-Newcastle star said: “Me and Micah have been worried about you the last few days. Can you tell us anything about your contract? It’s like you, (Mohamed) Salah, (Virgil) Van Dijk and Trent (Alexander-Arnold) are all coming to the end of your contract. What’s going on? Inform us, please.”
Lineker then replied: “I think there is one significant difference. The Liverpool fans really care about those three! It’s been a strange few days. As you know, like Trent, like Virgil, like Mo, I’m coming to the end of my contract in the summer. It’s natural at some point that you have to have conversations and they’ve just started.
“I don’t know why it all spiralled out of control, but all is OK. I believe you’re in a similar predicament, you too as well. Perhaps you’ll have the Daily Mail on your doorstep tomorrow.
“Now that they know that. I’m more concerned actually about my cold. I started feeling not very well on the way home last night. Terrible throat and phlegmy and yuck.”
Lineker was asked by the Daily Mail outside of his home and reports that he is set to leave MOTD, but he provided an X-rated response to the approach by saying: “F*** off, I won't talk to you. Go away.”
