Why Prince Harry has led Gary Lineker to snub ‘derisory’ £1m offer that would see Match of the Day host share stories from playing days & media career

Lineker is yet to put his life story down on paper, despite being 64 years of age and having plenty of tales to tell. He represented the likes of Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham in his playing days, while scoring 48 goals through 80 appearances for the Three Lions.

According to the Daily Mail, he has been offered a seven-figure sum in a lucrative book deal. Editors at Penguin Random House are said to have made that move as one of the biggest players in the publishing world.

They commissioned Prince Harry’s autobiography ‘Spare’, which sent shockwaves through the royal family and saw the son of King Charles paid a supposed £15m ($20m) up front. Lineker believes that he should be valued closer to that figure.

A source has told the Mail: “Gary's team were pretty sniffy about the opening offer, even though it's a million pounds. There was a view that it was derisory. Everyone knows what a stir Prince Harry's book made, so they were interested.

“Gary is outspoken when he wants to be so it could be the perfect combination. It is the same commissioning editor who commissioned the Duke of Sussex who is now after Gary but Gary hasn't yet signed the deal.

“He has never done an autobiography before so he thought he'd be able to command even more cash, but at the moment the negotiations are ongoing. Maybe it would be a case of not saying so much about his private life but more about football.

“Obviously the publishers know the real value is getting Gary to talk about his marriages and his personal life for the first time but he seems to think just his football insights are worth the cash.”

Lineker will soon have more free time on his hands as he will, after 25 years at the helm, be stepping down as Match of the Day host when the 2024-25 campaign comes to a close. He will still form part of the BBC’s FA Cup and 2026 World Cup coverage, while having various other projects - including popular podcasts - to work on.