BT Sport has said that it has a "strong preference" to keep hold of the UK rights to the Champions League.
The broadcaster poached the rights from Sky and ITV in a three-year £900m deal in 2014 and is preparing to go head to head with the pay TV broadcasters for the next three-year deal, which will begin in the 2018-19 season.
According to The Guardian, BT has already "done the rounds" with free-to-air broadcasters about partnering up for a bid after concerns that its current exclusive deal has seen viewing figures decrease dramatically.
"I don't want to comment on the future [without the rights], not least because our strong preference is to keep the Champions League," said John Petter, BT's head of consumer, who led the successful bid last time around.
UEFA has previously predicted that the next set of rights could sell for as much as £1.2 billion.
Neil Wilkes
