Brit investigators have reportedly been handed extra time to probe the new lead in hunt for missing Maddie

A FORMER employee of the resort where Maddie McCann vanished from may hold the key to solving the mystery of her disappearance, it has been reported.

Brit investigators want to speak to a Portuguese man who worked at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz where the three-year-old was last seen in 2007.

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Police want to quiz an ex-employee of the holiday resort where Maddie McCann disappeared in 2007Credit: PA:Press Association

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Brit investigators want to speak to the man after the probe in Portugal drew blanksCredit: LUSA

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The unnamed man had previously been interviewed by cops desperate to track down Maddie, but now they have reason to believe he may hold more key info.

A Portuguese police source told The Mirror: “British officers are very keen to question him and are convinced he knows more than he was previously saying.

“They are not suggesting he stole Maddie but he may know people who could have been involved.”

The new probe is connected to claims the infamous disappearance is linked to a burglary at the McCann’s holiday home which went horribly wrong.

The worker was quizzed as a witness just two days after the child disappeared from her room as her parents dined out with friends.

Now police want to speak to him again and an international search has ‘been put in place’ to track him down.

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The McCann family had been staying in the Ocean Club resort in Praia Da Luz when the tot disappearedCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

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Her parents Gerry and Kate have always maintained their daughter is still aliveCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

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Maddie McCann disappeared from a hotel room in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007Credit: PA:Press Association

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Interest in the lead comes as the Home Office handed over another £85,000 to keep the Operation Grange probe open until September.

Brit investigators have already spent nearly £13million trying to find the youngster.

Policing Minister Brandon Lewis last night said: “I am pleased to be able to support the British police who are trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Madeleine McCann and give some kind of closure and justice to her family.”

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A Home Office spokesman added: “Following an application from the Metropolitan Police for special grant funding the Home Office has confirmed £85,000 in operational costs for Operation Grange for the period April 1 until September 2017.

“As with all applications the resources required are reviewed regularly and careful consideration is given before any new funding is allocated.”

Gerry and Kate McCann insist their daughter is still alive and have led a high-profile fundraising campaign the keep the hunt for their daughter alive.