Gary Lineker’s next career move, huge £50m demand, ITV and Sky Sports talks

Gary Lineker's 28-year stint with the BBC has reached an abrupt and bitter end following his controversial social media post about the Israel-Hamas conflict. It's now been confirmed that the 64-year-old, who was already set to quit as Match of the Day host this month, will make his full departure from the corporation, with senior figures at the BBC reportedly deeming his role "untenable".

Initially, Lineker was due to remain involved with the BBC, fronting their coverage of next season's FA Cup and the 2026 World Cup next summer. However, those plans have fallen apart amid allegations of anti-Semitism, which have been levelled against the ex-footballer several times in recent months. Lineker's now-deleted post featured a rat emoji alongside a video described as 'anti-Zionist'. The use of the rat symbol - commonly interpreted as a hateful anti-Semitic motif - provoked significant criticism and renewed focus on the presenter's social media activity.

His exit was confirmed on Monday, with Lineker saying: “Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio. I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years.

"As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for. However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”

This isn't Lineker's first run-in with the BBC regarding impartiality, a contractual requirement for its on-air talent. Past disputes, including his suspension in 2023 over comments on UK immigration, have tested the relationship, and this latest controversy looks to have been the final straw.

His looming exit signals the end of a lengthy affiliation with the broadcaster. Here, we look at what the future holds for the former England striker, including two opportunities that nearly saw him defect to rival networks.

Next career move

Over the last decade, Lineker has built a thriving podcast empire through his company, Goalhanger Podcasts, responsible for popular series such as The Rest Is History, The Rest Is Politics, and The Rest Is Football. The latter, which he co-hosts with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, is among the top sports podcasts in the UK.

It's little wonder, then, that Lineker is leaning more toward audio media than traditional TV work. In an interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan, he said his future plans "won't be more telly," and added: "I think I'll step back from that now... I think I'll probably focus more on the podcast world."

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Lineker explained further: "I don't think you'll see me doing much football, apart from the podcast. I'll do the odd thing, but I don't think you'll see me appearing regularly on another channel."

£50m demand

Lineker recently revealed he "demanded" £50million after ITV approached him. After making it public last November that he would be stepping down from Match of the Day after the 2024/25 season, he received a wide range of offers.

One of those came from Celebrity Big Brother - a programme Lineker had no interest in joining. Instead of simply turning it down, his agent issued a tongue-in-cheek reply.

Lineker told his podcast co-hosts Shearer and Richards: "Do you know last week I got requests to go on Celebrity Big Brother? My agent sent it through, and then jokingly he replied, 'Oh, yes. Gary's fee will be £50million!' He did it completely as a joke, obviously. And they came back said, 'Oh, that's a little bit... that's not within our budget.'"

Sky Sports talks

While Lineker's discussions with ITV were playful, talks with Sky Sports were far more serious. In March, he revealed that he had been in communication with Sky for a while, but ultimately rejected them - and a bigger paycheck - due to his loyalty to the BBC.

"We've had talks with Sky at various points, but I always wanted to stick with the BBC," Lineker said. "I could have earned a lot more, though I know I've been well paid anyway, obviously.

"I've had offers to go elsewhere but I just loved being with the BBC, and also how it helps everything else you do. It's not only the kudos, the audience is much bigger. More people still watch Match of the Day than probably the biggest live game on Sundays.

"Also, I'm quite loyal. I've had the same guy cut my hair for 40 years, the same guy training me in the gym for 30 years, the same agent since I was 18."

Cooking show

When one thinks of Lineker and food, crisps are usually the first thing that come to mind. However, that association could have shifted had he accepted ambitious pitches to front a cooking series.

Speaking with The Times, Lineker - who calls himself "a pretty good" chef - said he had been approached with several culinary show concepts. Despite his passion for cooking, he passed on the proposals.

"I've been offered to do cookery programmes, but I don't want to, because while I'm a very keen cook and I think I'm a good cook, I'm not Gordon f***ing Ramsay," he said.

"I enjoy cooking, but I didn't see myself doing that on screen," he admitted. "I'd like to tell you I'm a very good cook. I'm pretty good. I've been doing it for 10 years now, and I'm obsessive. So if I do something and I realise I'm reasonably good at it, I'll throw my heart and soul at it."