Phillip Schofield could be poached from ITV's This Morning as the BBC are reportedly lining up a multi-million pound offer he cannot refuse to get him on the competing channel.
Phil, 58, has presented This Morning show since 2002 when he hosted it alongside Fern Britton, and then Holly Willoughby since 2006, becoming an iconic TV duo due to their live gaffes and giggly innuendos.
But even if the BBC does make Phil an offer after his "golden handcuffs" contract ends in 2021, ITV could beat it.
Phil is currently thought to earn £1million a year, so any offer that would convince him would need to be pricey.
A source told The Sun : “Phil’s a telly legend. He has thousands of loyal fans who follow his every move.
“He’s become a prime target for the BBC who think he would be the perfect face for a number of new shows.
“The hope is a meeting could take place as restrictions begin to ease later this year — and he’d be able to give them an idea of how much he’d be looking for.”
MirrorOnline has reached out to reps for Phillip Schofield, and ITV for comment, and the BBC denied there was any truth to the story.
Phil actually started his TV career at the BBC aged 17, when he worked as a tea boy and bookings clerk.
He moved from the BBC to ITV in 2006, and his most iconic shows on the network to date have included Dancing On Ice, The Cube, and Text Santa.
It was also reported that major changes were about to happen at This Morning, with editor Martin Frizell set to leave.
A source told the Mail On Sunday : "Phil and Holly actually listen to Martin. Who knows what they'd do if he left."
Martin also revealed he was under pressure to hire a more diverse presenting duo, and reportedly said to staff in a video conference earlier this month he is “looking into” hiring a black host following global Black Lives Matter protests and discussions about improving race relations.
"There is not a black presenter on any of the programmes today. We plan to change that, we [This Morning] are looking into it," Martin is claimed to have said.
Another insider told The Mail On Sunday: "Kudos to Frizell for being the first ITV boss to pledge to make this happen. What we are all wondering now is, 'Will anyone go and, if so, who?"
