The BBC are reportedly primed to replace Gary Lineker as the face of their football coverage and have identified former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas as the ideal successor.
Lineker, 59, has fronted the corporation’s flagship football show Match of the Day since 1999 when he replaced Des Lynam, though his long reign could be coming to an end.
According to the Daily Mail, senior figures at the BBC are already preparing for life after Lineker and have earmarked Jenas as the man to fill his shoes.
Although there is no suggestion that Lineker is being forced out, his future has been a topic of conversation among BBC executives.
He has been offered roles at other channels, including a new ITV quiz show, while he quipped at the end of last year that he was ‘the only person in football telly not working with Amazon Prime’ – and promptly received a cheeky offer from the streaming service.
Sources have told the Daily Mail that while no timeframe has been set for Lineker’s departure, it could happen ‘within two years’.
Jenas, meanwhile, has been working as a commentator and pundit since 2014, becoming a mainstay of both the BBC and BT Sport’s football coverage.
He was recently given the opportunity to present when he was announced as one of the hosts of the BBC’s new MOTDx show, which is aimed at a younger audience.
Jenas, who is also a co-host on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606 phone-in, is understood to be keen to move into the presenting chair on a permanent basis.
He would certainly offer more value for money for the BBC than Lineker, whose £1.75million salary makes him the corporation’s highest-paid star, with Jenas currently earning £210,000 in his current role.
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