Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker currently earns around £2 a year as MOTD host (Reuters) Reuters

Gary Lineker looks set to sign a new deal with the BBC to keep him on as the presenter of Match of the Day - but only after agreeing to take a £500,000-a-year paycut.

The new deal will see his salary fall by 25 percent from his £2m-a-year contract which runs out at the end of the football season.

The former England international will accept the lower pay deal despite being told he will also head the BBC's coverage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

His representatives are said to be "confident" of agreeing an extension to his contract. Lineker has hosted the football highlights show since 1999.

The former Tottenham and Barcelona striker also has lucrative deals elsewhere, including Al Jazeera's Champions League coverage and his long-running deal with Walkers Crisps - which will continue until 2015 at least.

Lineker's contract negotiations to continue at Match of the Day follows the decision by the BBC to axe presenter Colin Murray from the Sunday night edition of Match of the Day 2. Murray will be replaced by 5 Live presenter Mark Chapman.

Lineker is the latest top name at the BBC who has been asked to take a pay cut over in the last few months.

His collegie Alan Hansen was forced to take a similar £500,000 a year cut and now earns an around £1m a year.

Graham Norton and Jeremy Paxman are other high-profile BBC stars who have been asked to take a pay-cut in their last contract negotiations.