Gareth Southgate reportedly set to sign contract extension with England that will take salary ‘close to’ Fabio Capello as best-paid Three Lions manager in history

Gareth Southgate is reportedly close to announcing a two-year contract extension as England manager.

The new deal - which, according to , could be worth around £5million plus bonuses - will take him to the end of Euro 2024, and will make him ‘close to’ the best-paid manager in Three Lions history.

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Fabio Capello, who earned around £6m a year when he agreed a new deal before the 2010 World Cup finals, is currently the nation’s highest-ever paid boss.

Capello is also the only permanent England manager to have a better win percentage than Southgate as England head coach - that’s if you don’t include Sam Allardyce’s one game and one win at the helm.

The former Middlesbrough boss will go to joint fourth on the list of most games managed when the Three Lions face Albania on Friday, alongside Sven Goran Eriksson with 67 games in charge.

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Only Bobby Robson, Walter Winterbottom, and Sir Alf Ramsey will have managed more England internationals.

Throughout his five-year stay, Southgate has been at the forefront of England’s incredible re-emergence from their embarrassing elimination at the hands of Iceland at Euro 2016.

The Three Lions have reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and the final of Euro 2020 since the former centre-back was appointed in November 2016.

And now, with the likes of Phil Foden, Mason Mount, and Trent Alexander-Arnold coming of age, the FA will be hoping that Southgate can lead the nation to just the second trophy of its 149-year history.

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Despite news of a potential new contract, Southgate spoke earlier this week about the managers that may replace him as England boss one day.

Southgate was delighted to see the likes of Eddie Howe and Steven Gerrard take jobs in the Premier League this week, and says the FA ‘will want five or six English managers who could have this job in the future’.

“I think we [at the FA] want to be there for young English coaches, any English coaches really,” Southgate said.

“Eddie came to our last camp, for example, and we try to keep in contact with them as much as we can.

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“It's great for them to have opportunities in the Premier League and doing well as we will want five or six English managers who could have this job in the future.

“That's got to be part of our succession planning and a desire for England to do well

“I was very disappointed for Dean Smith. He's done a brilliant job at Aston Villa and he's an excellent manager, so I wish him well.

“But it's nice to see another English manager [Gerrard] in the Premier League as well, and with Eddie going to Newcastle that's two English managers appointed this week.”