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Kris Meeke is understood to be closing on a deal to join Toyota's World Rally Championship programme next season.

The Northern Irishman visited the Tommi Makinen Racing facility in Jyvaskyla recently and negotiations with Makinen himself are understood to be progressing well towards a multi-year agreement.

Meeke declined to comment on his future, but he told Autosport at the end of Rally GB he was confident he would be busy next season.

Makinen told Autosport: "Kris is a very nice person, we like him very much and yes I have met him, I have seen him around recently.

"Kris is somebody we could imagine having in our team."

Makinen is running Toyota's 2017 return to the World Rally Championship, with the team's Yaris WRC expected to be testing for the first time in March next year.

Meeke's contract with Citroen - with whom he scored his breakthrough WRC win in Argentina this year - expires at the end of 2015.

There is understood to be ongoing dialogue between Meeke and Citroen about a possible contract extension - but the chances are looking slim following meetings in Finland.