The BBC are leaning towards having Mark Chapman as Gary Lineker's eventual Match of the Day replacement, as per reports.
Lineker has been at the helm of the famous show for 25 years but his time is thought to be coming to an end. Lineker has previously clashed with the broadcaster over his comments on social media, which saw him temporarily suspended.
The ex-England international also has other blossoming business interests and is one of the BBC 's highest earners, but his £1.35million-a-year contract expires at the end of the season. Previously Jermaine Jenas had been seen as a future replacement for Lineker with the former Premier League star once part of the BBC set-up.
He was occasionally a pundit and hosted The One Show before he was axed by the corporation due to allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards female employees. As a result the new frontrunner to take over from Lineker is Mark Chapman, according to The Times.
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He is already well known to fans given he presents Match of the Day 2 on Sundays, a role he's filled since 2013. The 50-year-old is also a presenter on Radio 5 Live and recently was announced as the presenter of the BBC's new Champions League highlights show.
That role is set to get underway next week when Europe's top clubs begin their midweek action. Chapman's new gig also underlines his status as one of the company's top presenters and will only aid his case to take over from Lineker.
Another Match of the Day pundit in Frank Lampard is expected to be on the BBC’s Champions League highlights show. Lineker’s usual sidekick Alan Shearer is working for Amazon for its live games after it secured the rights to one match every Tuesday.
Lineker was previously quizzed on how long he saw himself in one of BBC's top roles and said: "I don't... I don't know! Depends how long they want me, I suppose. I love doing it at the moment; I've still got another year left, at least." He went on to add: "All of these things will play a part. But I just feel it's been an absolute privilege to have presented it for 25 years now. I must be getting old!"
Lineker's social media opinions have divided opinion and new rules were put in place for BBC employees following his saga, which saw him compare the Conservative Government to "1930s Germany". Chapman meanwhile has not posted on Twitter for four years.
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