FRENCH president Emmanuel Macron does not want any Brexit delay to last beyond December, it has been reported.
The website BuzzFeed News said diplomatic sources have also revealed he will ask the EU to impose compliance checks on the UK every three months during the extension.
It comes as Theresa May is due to meet Mr Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a crunch EU summit tomorrow.
Mr Macron is widely seen to have adopted a tougher stance over Brexit than other key EU states.
Meanwhile, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom has called for Mrs Merkel to reopen talks on the Irish backstop in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
She made the call after a senior German official said the UK must take "substantial steps" to break the Brexit stand-off.
The EU has repeatedly ruled out reopening the backstop proposals in the Withdrawal Agreement, which were previously agreed with Mrs May.
The Prime Minister is embarking on a diplomatic flurry to plead for an extension.
Mrs Leadsom told ITV News: "The Prime Minister is off to see Angela Merkel today and it would be fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.
"There have been rumours over the weekend some senior members of the German government would be willing to do that in order to get Theresa May's deal over the line.
"As the person with the responsibility to get the legislation through, if we get the Prime Minister's deal over the line because the EU has decided to support measures on the backstop, that would be the best possible outcome."
Mrs Leadsom acknowledged Mrs May was focused on requesting an extension to the Article 50 deadline but insisted the UK was still in control of Brexit, saying "yes it is, at the moment it is".
However, Michael Roth, Germany's deputy foreign minister, expressed frustration that nothing seemed to have changed on the UK side and said any delay must come with strict conditions.
As he arrived at an EU meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, Mr Roth said "so far absolutely nothing has changed" and "we are in a very, very frustrating situation here".
Mr Roth said that "within the European Union, there isn't an endless readiness to keep talking about delays so long as there is no substantial progress on the British side".
Mrs May has asked for a new delay until June 30 but, according to reports, Brexit could be delayed by nearly a year under plans being considered by EU officials.
Such an extension would mean the UK having to take part in European parliamentary elections, which would be anathema to hardline Brexiteer Tories, and the country could be sidelined from budget decisions in Brussels.
All 27 remaining EU heads of government must agree to an extension if the UK is to avoid the default position of a no-deal Brexit on Friday night.
They will vote on the issue during an emergency summit on Wednesday.
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