'Match of the Day's Alan Hansen to take big pay cut

Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen is reportedly in talks with the BBC about a new deal which would keep him on the show, but with a major pay cut.

There was criticism last year after it emerged that the former Liverpool defender was one of the highest paid people at the BBC, taking home a reported £1.5 million a year.

His contract is up for renewal at the end of the current football season and BBC insiders claim that he will agree to a "considerable" cut under the new deal, potentially up to £500,000.

Hansen, who was at the centre of a race storm last December after he described black footballers as "coloured", started broadcasting after he retired from football in 1991.

News of him having to agree a pay cut at the BBC may alert Sky Sports to his potential availability, as the Scot started his punditry career at the satellite broadcaster.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "We never discuss talent pay or talent negotiation."

The BBC has come under fire in the past over the amount that it pays top on-screen talent. In its latest published accounts, the BBC showed that it paid £22m to 19 stars in its top pay band, including anyone earning more than £500,000.

Last year, the BBC announced a broad cost-cutting drive that may result in the loss of around 2,000 jobs and the scaling back of various services in a bid to save £670m a year by 2016/17.

Alongside Hansen, it is understood that other top BBC talent, including Jeremy Paxman and Graham Norton, have also been asked to take pay cuts.