I’m A Celebrity hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly suggest ITV bosses are ALREADY trying to sign Gary Lineker after his shock exit from Match Of The Day was revealed

After it was sensationally announced that Gary Lineker would be leaving the BBC’s Match of the Day after 25 years, rival networks were no doubt lining up attractive offers for the presenter.

And it seems ITV are already fishing for the 63-year-old after I’m A Celebrity hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly urged him to take part in the reality show next year.

On Tuesday, during a live video on Instagram, Ant, 49, told viewers: ‘We’ve got to go now, oh no wait, there’s another suggestion that says:’ ‘Get Gary Lineker in (the jungle) for next year ‘ ‘.’

In response to the suggestion, Ant said: ‘Now that’s a good idea. Good suggestion, now that he’s back for today’s game, let’s get him in.’

The Geordie duo typically reject calls from fans for high-calibre names like Lineker to join the I’m A Celebrity jungle, saying they are too busy or famous to appear on the reality show.

But in a rare recording, the hosts agreed with the suggestion that Lineker should join the ITV flagship show and even pushed for it.

It seems ITV are already fishing for Gary Lineker after I’m A Celebrity hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly urged him to take part in the reality show next year

With his business partner at Goal Hanger – the company behind the hugely successful podcast franchise, The Rest Is – being ex-ITV head of sport Tony Pastor, talks have no doubt been bubbling for some time about Lineker joining ITV.

It comes after the former England striker’s agent, John Holmes, insisted that ITV had been keen to recruit Lineker ‘years ago’ but was rebuffed by the presenter.

Holmes’ rebuke came amid reports this summer Lineker planned to join ITV and take a prominent position in its sports coverage.

But now the question of Lineker jumping ship has resurfaced since fans have called for him to appear on I’m A Celebrity, an idea which has been reinforced by the show’s long-standing hosts.

Ant and Dec’s influence on the line-up shouldn’t be underestimated, as TikTok star GK Barry, who is a contestant this year, thanked the pair for helping her land a place on the show.

GK Barry, whose real name is Grace Keeling, is now in the jungle and reportedly has an ITV show lined up for her when she leaves.

It’s well known that I’m A Celebrity is a gateway for celebrities to work more with ITV, and bringing Lineker on board would help him transition to a more permanent role at the network.

After weeks of speculation that Lineker would leave MOTD, it was confirmed last week that the former striker will quit at the end of the season.

After weeks of speculation that Lineker would leave Match Of The Day, it was confirmed last week that the former striker will retire at the end of the season.

Lineker, who is paid £1.35m a year by the BBC, will host its coverage of the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as next season’s FA Cup.

It was also reported that he has already left the presenting line-up for the BBC Sports Personality of The Year awards ceremony in December.

According to a poll conducted by market research firm Ipsos this week, fans would like to see returning Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer take the reins of the show.

Mark Chapman, who hosts the highlights show’s sister program Match of the Day 2, was a close second favorite to succeed Lineker among fans, with 20 per cent.

Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, is believed to be keen to take the program down in a different direction and hopes a new presenter can attract a younger audience to the programme.