Adrian Chiles is SACKED by ITV with immediate effect...

Football presenter Adrian Chiles has today been sacked with immediate effect by ITV.

The 47-year-old, who reportedly earns more than £4.5million-a-year and is one of Britain's highest paid broadcasters, has been replaced at main football anchor by BBC radio presenter Mark Pougatch.

MailOnline understands Chiles was told this week that ITV wanted to terminate his two-year sports presenting contract early, which was signed shortly before the World Cup in Brazil last summer.

His sacking by ITV came four years after being lured from the BBC with a multi-million pound golden-handcuffs deal to become one of its biggest stars.

But within a year of joining breakfast show Daybreak in 2011 with on-screen partner Christine Bleakley the show was axed after ratings plunged.

A year later Chiles' chat show That Sunday Night Show was also axed.

Last summer he took a £1million salary cut and agreed a £500,000-a-year deal just to present football on ITV until summer 2016 - but bosses decided to end it early.

The broadcaster would not comment on the reasons for Chiles' departure and neither would his agent.

His replacement Mark Pougatch is one of the BBC's key sports radio presenters, appearing mainly on Five Live.