All eyes were on Channel Nine star Sylvia Jeffreys as she debuted her blossoming baby bump on the Logies red carpet in a showstopping teal Rebecca Vallance gown on August 16 – and now there are whispers the popular presenter could be eyeing up a brand new TV role too.

With gaps opening up in the network’s Today Show hosting seats thanks to Karl Stefanovic’s highly publicised exit and Sarah Abo’s maternity leave, sources tell Woman’s Day that Sylvia – who is married to Karl’s brother Peter Stefanovic – has emerged as a front-runner for one of the coveted spots.

To date, Channel Nine has been testing the waters with different presenter line-ups – with Sylvia recently taking on a stint behind the desk alongside Tom Steinfort, who has also been paired with former Sunrise star Sam Armytage.

“Sylvia’s announcement that she and Pete are expecting their third child – a little baby girl – has all but delivered the perfect solution for Nine’s big bosses who continue to lock horns as to who they think should replace Sarah Abo as co-host at Today,” an insider tells Woman’s Day.

“One senior Nine executive is really pushing for it to be Sam Armytage… And this is where it gets interesting – there’s been a real push from another breakaway group of Nine execs, who have plenty of clout when it comes to decision making, who are now pushing for Sylvia to step in until Sarah returns.”

Indeed, on August 14 Sarah returned to the Today Show studio with newborn baby Sonny in tow.

“It’s amazing, actually, the transformation that your mind takes because you just go, ‘I don’t care about anything else’, and you are the most important thing in my life,” she told Sylvia, Tom and popular newsreader Jayne Azzopardi, who were hosting that day.

The source claims the timing of Sarah’s outing back to the studio appeared to be “well-orchestrated”.

“A day later, Sylvia drops the amazing news that she and Pete are expecting their third child – giving Nine a free kick ‘no-brainer’ solution,” the source suggests.

“WIth all the unrest at Nine after Karl’s shock exit followed by Sarah’s early departure for maternity leave, it’s clear focus groups will be telling Nine to play it safe.

“Timing wise it is the perfect fit: put Sylvia into the hosting role until the end of the year where viewers can follow her pregnancy journey,” the insider goes on.

“Assign Tom as the permanent replacement for Karl, and let the safest set of hands in the business, Sylvia, steer a steady ship until 2027.

“She will then likely take maternity leave, anyway, at the end of December, early January.

“Then when things have settled down after such an upheaval of a year, they can look at what next once the new team has settled things down.”

The source calls the potential solution a “win-win” and claims that it helps that Sarah “wants Sylvia in the chair”.

However, one person leaving the door wide open to a potential Today Show return when asked about it at this year’s Logies – was none other than fellow fill-in host Sam Armytage.

“I love breakfast TV, it’s always fun, I’ve always loved it, it’s a good bunch of people. I’ve had a good time filling in and we’ll see. We’ll see what’s next!” she told TV Week on the red carpet.

While she remained elusive when asked if she’d ever return to morning TV for a longer stint, she also didn’t shut down speculation.

“We’ll see!” she said. “I’d have to think about it. It’s a lot. It’s tough hours, it would be a lot of attention. Watch this space.”

Adding to the intrigue are whispers that Sylvia and Sam did “everything possible” to avoid each other at the Logies.

One industry insider claimed Sam “worked that room better than anyone, while Sylvia chose to stick with her Nine buddies” before declaring cheekily on social media that it was “time for a nap”.