Michael Jordan is setting a record with his divorce as he prepares to pay his former wife an unprecedented settlement of more than $168 million.

Last December, when Jordan, 44, and his wife Juanita, 48, split up, the athlete balked at signing the settlement. Insiders claim that negotiations have added $41 million to the final deal.

The final severance package for Juanita Jordan, which includes the couple?s seven-acre estate in Chicago and custody of their three children, is expected to be agreed before the first anniversary of their last row ? which was said to be about money.

The settlement eclipses the most expensive celebrity divorce on public record, in which Neil Diamond paid his ex-wife Marcia Murphey $154 million. After licking his wounds, the singer, who had married the television production assistant before he became famous, won plaudits for his chivalrous verdict. ?She?s worth every penny,? he said.