Gary Lineker will be returning to the BBC next weekend to cover the FA Cup, it has been reported.
The presenter, 62, will reportedly front the BBC's FA Cup coverage next Saturday after being told to 'stand down' by the BBC for this weekend's Match of the Day.
He is said to have struck a deal with the broadcaster today, with the agreement reportedly being announced soon after tense talks amid an impartiality row.
It was announced by the BBC earlier this week that Gary would be taking a break from hosting Match of the Day until they had reached "an agreed and clear position" on his use of social media.
He sparked debate a few days ago after comparing the language used to launch an asylum policy by the UK Government with Germany in the 1930s in a tweet.
In the now-viral tweet, Lineker wrote: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ’30s."
It has now been reported that Gary and the BBC have reached an agreement after "tense talks".
He will reportedly host the broadcaster's BBC's FA Cup coverage next weekend.
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A source told the Sun: "Gary will be back to host the BBC's FA Cup coverage. A deal has been struck.
"If the BBC have agreed to allow him to keep tweeting his anti-Tory views, it will be seen as a major victory for Gary, but the details of the deal are unclear at this stage."
The BBC declined to comment when contacted by the Mirror.
Ian Wright and Alan Shearer have also returned to their punditry duties.
The duo pulled out from featuring on Saturday's episode of the Premier League highlights show after the BBC stood Gary Lineker down from presenting duties. Lineker had become embroiled in a row with Conservative MPs over his vocal opposition to the government's Illegal Migration bill.
Following the news that Gary wouldn't front Match of the Day on Saturday, various fellow pundits announced that they wouldn't be on BBC shows this weekend either.
There was limited sport programming this weekend, with the BBC apologising to viewers over its schedule.
Match of the Day did air on Saturday but without presenters or pundits. The episode - cut down to only 20 minutes - featured Premier League highlights without any commentary.
A host of celebrities have expressed support for Gary amid the controversy in recent days.
The BBC announced that Gary would be temporarily stepping back from Match of the Day in a statement on Friday.
It read: "The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.
"The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we've got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.
"When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.
"We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".
However, following the huge backlash over the move, which saw Gary defended by a string of celebrities and several commentators and pundits pull out of sport coverage across the BBC over the weekend, its director general spoke out.
On Saturday evening, Tim Davie gave an interview to his own company in which he apologised to viewers and pledged to get a resolution to the row.
"I’m sorry audiences have been affected and they haven’t got the programming," Davie told the BBC. "As a keen sports fan I know to miss programming is a real blow and I’m sorry about that. We are working very hard to resolve this situation and make sure we get output on air.
"Success for me is getting Gary back on air and together we are giving to the audiences that world-class sports coverage."
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.
