The BBC is eyeing up a renewal of Gary Lineker's contract once it's confirmed the corporation has bagged the rights to show Premier League highlights once again, it's been reported.
It's been claimed that the Beeb are set to bag the deal until 2029 following failure from ITV, Channel 4, or Channel 5 to contest the free-to-air rights.
The current deal expires in 2025 but should the BBC land the four-year extension to the rights, the corporation is reportedly keen to keep Lineker on board.
The former England striker is already the BBC's highest-paid star and his current contract was due to expire at the same time as the current deal for Premier League highlights.
At £1.35million-a-year, Lineker's wage makes him the highest-paid BBC talent, almost £400,000 more than Zoe Ball's £985,000 salary.
The reported contract plans, first shared by the Daily Mail, come just weeks after Lineker dropped a rather cryptic hint at who he thinks could replace him as MOTD host.
Gary Lineker fronts a number of the BBC's sporting shows
PADuring a recent episode of the footballing highlights show, he and co-host Jermaine Jenas were analysing Everton's 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace.
"I always like the striker's opinion," Jenas asked Lineker who soon teased: "You want this job?"
"No, no, not yet," Jenas awkwardly replied before Lineker cryptically hinted: "Later."
However, it sounds like Jenas will be waiting at least another few years should the reports of a contract extension come to fruition.
GB News has contacted the BBC for comment.
The new contract would come just weeks after Lineker lauded new social media guidelines the Beeb implemented for its presenters.
While it's led to the likes of Carol Vorderman being sacked from the corporation, Lineker welcomed the changes as "sensible".
The alterations were made following a review after Lineker himself was suspended for his strongly-worded criticism of former Home Secretary Suella Braverman's asylum policy.
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Gary Lineker is one of the BBC's highest-paid presenters PA He compared the language used by the former Home Sec as similar to that of "1930s Germany", resulting in him being taken off-air for a week.
Instead, the Beeb aired Match of the Day without any presenters or pundits as a number of other sports presenters showed solidarity with the 62-year-old.
