The size of any such payoff, which must be agreed by a BP board meeting in London on Monday, risks sparking a fresh row as the British-based firm battles to rebuild its reputation amid the worst environmental disaster in US history.

BP says there is still no decision on Hayward, whose string of public relations gaffes during the crisis included telling reporters "I want my life back" and joining a yacht race as Gulf residents battled the massive oil spill.

"BP confirms that no final decision has been made on these matters," a spokesman for the energy giant said. "Any decisions will be announced as appropriate."

Hayward has drawn criticism from US President Barack Obama -- who said he would have fired him -- and other senior figures in the United States over his handling of the aftermath of the April 20 disaster which killed 11 workers.

But he could still get a pay-off and pension package worth around 12 million pounds (14.4 million euros, 18.5 million dollars), The Times and the Financial Times newspapers reported.

The White House warned BP however that any decision to replace Hayward would not change its obligation to clean up the Gulf of Mexico and compensate victims.

"The CEO of BP... if he makes the decision for him to leave -- that is one thing," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

"What is clear is BP cannot and should not and will not leave the Gulf without meeting its responsibility to plug the well, to clean up the damage that has been caused, and compensate those that have been damaged."

BP has agreed to set up a 20-billion-dollar fund to pay for the Gulf clean-up and compensation, after it finally plugs the BP well damaged in the April explosion of the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling platform.

Hayward's reported payoff would be the equivalent of one year's salary plus a guaranteed pension for the 53-year-old who started his career with BP 28 years ago and took over as chief executive in 2007.

A decision on Hayward's future is likely ahead of the release of BP's second-quarter results Tuesday which are expected to reveal a 30-billion-dollar provision for funding the disaster.

Britain's Sky News television, citing sources, said Hayward was likely to be proposed for a non-executive role on the board of TNK-BP, a joint venture in Russia.

Meanwhile the BBC said Hayward would step down in October.

He is expected to be replaced by Bob Dudley, who grew up in Mississippi and is now in charge of the oil cleanup operation. BP has said Dudley has a "deep appreciation and affinity for the Gulf Coast".

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is the US pointman on the crisis, said Monday that efforts to kill the damaged well for good would not likely start before next week.

Beforehand, engineers had to first finish the casing on a relief well. "Starting on Wednesday we hope to run the final casing on that internal pipe that provides well integrity," Allen told reporters.

Originally expected as early as Tuesday, Allen said BP had given a "refined and revised" timeline as it redeployed vessels and personnel following a recent storm in the region.

Even if BP then manages to kill the well, Allen warned there was "the possibility that shore will be impacted I guess for the next four to six weeks."

The ruptured wellhead was sealed on July 15 with a giant cap, which for the first time in three months halted the flow of oil into the sea. But up to four million barrels (170 million gallons) of crude is already estimated to have spewed into the Gulf.

Toxic crude has washed up on the shores of all five US states on the Gulf Coast and vital tourism, fishing and oil industries in the region have been hit hard.

BP faces hundreds of pending lawsuits into the cause of the April 20 rig blast that should determine eventual liability.

BP shares finished up 4.6 percent on the London Stock Exchange at 416.95 pence, in a market up 0.72 percent overall. The firm has lost about 40 percent of its stock market value since the spill.

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