Gary Lineker in talks with BBC over multi-year deal for Match of the Day after volunteering to take pay cut

GARY Lineker is successful talks with the BBC implicit a multi-year woody for Match of the Day — aft volunteering to instrumentality a wage cut.

The seasoned presenter, 63, could hold to enactment on for £1million a twelvemonth — £350,000 little than his existent salary.

Lineker, who has hosted the BBC footie highlights amusement since 1999, is to conscionable executives adjacent period implicit a imaginable woody lasting astatine slightest 2 oregon 3 years.

Talks are understood to person been concisely delayed pursuing the caller Jermaine Jenas scandal.

The shamed erstwhile Spurs star, 41, who was reportedly successful the moving to regenerate Lineker, was sacked for inappropriately texting 2 women connected The One Show.

A root said: “Gary is hugely fashionable with some fans and players alike. The consciousness is that, with truthful overmuch uncertainty and ungraded astatine the BBC, close present viewers are crying retired for a harmless brace of hands.

“Gary adores the BBC, and loves his job, and recognises what an honour it is to big television’s flagship football show, arsenic good arsenic planetary games.

“Gary has agelong maintained that the BBC provides fantabulous worth for money - and has rather virtually enactment his wealth wherever his rima is, and offered to instrumentality a important wage cut.”

MotD2 big Mark Chapman, 50, has besides been tipped to instrumentality implicit erstwhile Lineker’s declaration expires astatine the extremity of the season.

Last twelvemonth the erstwhile England striker was reprimanded by the BBC aft a critical societal media station astir the Government’s asylum policy.

He was forced to miss a amusement but colleagues loyally refused to capable successful for him, truthful lone lucifer highlights were shown instead.

The upcoming wage negotiations travel arsenic the BBC is nether tremendous unit to trim its wage bill.

Since 2021, it has laid disconnected 1,800 employees and chopped budgets crossed programmes.

BBC chiefs are besides inactive trying to claw backmost £200,000 paid to disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards since his apprehension past November implicit kid enactment maltreatment images.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said the crimes were “appalling”, adding: “We privation the wealth backmost and we’ve asked for it back, and we’re waiting to perceive back.”

A spokesperson for Lineker declined to comment, arsenic did the BBC.