Lineker ‘wanted by new sports channel’ as BBC may lose England hero

Gary Lineker is reportedly being chased by BT Sport to head up their new-look channel, TNT Sports, from next season. The former England striker could leave the BBC unless they change their position on a row over his Twitter usage.

Lineker has history with BT Sport, presenting their Champions League coverage for six years until 2021. They will undergo a rebrand before the start of next season, with TNT Sports set to grace UK screens after the broadcasters were taken over by Warner Brothers Discovery. 

According to The Daily Mail, Lineker is ‘at the top of their shopping list’ in terms of options to spearhead their Premier League coverage. The 62-year-old supposedly lives close to the company’s studios in west London. 

TNT Sports have the rights for two more seasons of Premier League coverage and four more years of Champions League, while they are also thought to be weighing up the possibility of purchasing EFL rights.

Lineker’s BBC future is up in the air amid a row over his social media usage. The broadcasting corporation instructed him to step back from his Match of the Day (MOTD) presenting duties after he compared the government’s new asylum policy to 1930s Germany.

In reaction to the news, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright both withdrew from their pundit duties for this Saturday’s show. Commentators also joined the boycott, with the BBC to air a revised format set to last just over 20 minutes. 

Other sporting events due to be aired on the BBC over the coming days are now in jeopardy with many of Lineker’s colleagues taking a stand. It is thought that the Women’s Super League match between Manchester United and Chelsea on Sunday is among them. 

Following Friday’s revelations, Lineker was straight back in the public eye on Saturday afternoon as he turned up at the King Power Stadium to watch Leicester City lose 3-1 against Chelsea.