Seven tipped to target Today host Sarah Abo as Nine rebuilds after Karl Stefanovic's departure

Sarah Abo is emerging as the next major player in breakfast television's growing talent war.

is reportedly preparing a bold move for the Today co-host just days after 's dramatic departure plunged Nine into crisis.

The former Today host, 51, suddenly resigned from the network this week after his controversial interview with British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

As Nine scrambles to rebuild its flagship breakfast show following Stefanovic's exit, rival executives are already eyeing one of the network's biggest remaining stars.

Seven is preparing to make a play for Abo when her contract expires later this year, according to The Daily Telegraph, with senior figures keen to lure the respected journalist back to in a move that could deal another significant blow to Nine.

The timing could hardly be worse for the network.

After losing the face of Today following more than two decades on air, Nine is now facing speculation over the future of another of its marquee presenters as executives work behind the scenes to .

Abo, who has co-hosted Today since January 2023, is currently on maternity leave after she is expecting her first child with husband Cyrus Moran.

Seven sees Sarah as a potential long-term successor within its Melbourne newsroom, where veteran newsreader Peter Mitchell has already begun scaling back his workload.

'They'd love to have Sarah, and by all accounts she's free at the end of the year,' an industry source told the publication.

The insider added that Seven executives believe Abo's credibility and polished presenting style make her an ideal addition to the network's news line-up.

The reported interest comes only days after viewers watched an emotional Abo struggle to hold back tears while announcing Stefanovic's departure from Today.

Whether Seven can match Abo's reported salary, believed to be about $800,000 annually, remains unclear after the broadcaster underwent significant cost-cutting across its news division earlier this year.

Still, with Sunrise continuing to comfortably outperform Today in the breakfast ratings and Nine , the battle for one of Australian television's most respected presenters appears to be just beginning.

Stefanovic declared, 'I am free,' in a video to fans after it was announced live on air that he has .

His Today co-host Sarah Abo broke down in tears as she .

'Look, we know there has been a lot of speculation about Karl's future with the show. Today we that Karl will not be returning to the Today show or to Nine,' she said.

Fill-in host Tom Steinfort said it was 'no longer possible' for Stefanovic to .

'As you know, he's been pursuing a podcast project independently of Nine for the past few months, and it's been decided he'll be injecting all of his energy and attention into that, as doing both is no longer possible,' he said.

In a statement to The Daily Mail, Channel Nine said that they agreed with Stefanovic that he should '.

'Nine Entertainment and Karl Stefanovic have agreed that it is no longer possible for him to continue hosting Today at the same time as his independent podcast,' they said.

'While Karl and Nine had previously agreed he would , they have subsequently decided he will leave the Network immediately.'