Jeff Stelling 'in talks' to join Sky Sports' rivals ahead of the new season

Much-loved presenter Jeff Stelling is in-demand following his exit from Sky Sports, with a number of leading broadcasters chasing his signature, according to reports.

The 68-year-old presenter, a lifelong Hartlepool fan, announced in April that he would step down from his role as Soccer Saturday host at the end of the 2022/23 season.

After a 30-year stint with the company, Stelling is now one of the most wanted free agents on the market, with BBC and Amazon Prime thought to be interested.

In fact, Stelling has been involved in "conversations" with the above over his next move, according to The Telegraph, who claim "most" of the leading stations are keen to bring him on board.

BBC reportedly want him to give Stelling a role on the radio with 5 Live, while Amazon Prime will be looking to ramp up their talent after they secured Champions League coverage from the 2024/25 campaign.

Back in February, Amazon Prime secured a major deal that will allow them to share UCL coverage with current providers BT Sport, who will rebrand to TNT Sports next season.

The streaming service will broadcast Tuesday night's fixtures through to the semi-final stage.

Stelling, meanwhile, opened up on his plans, just a day after his final show. "The morning after the day before." he wrote on Twitter. "It all seems like an out of body experience (with my body, you would want to be out of it).

"I wanted to thank everyone for the overwhelming number of kind messages. I’m going to take a few weeks to assess my options and then decide what is next."

Sky paid tribute to the presenter with a brilliant six-minute compilation video of some of his best bits, including the iconic moment when Chris Kamara missed that red card against Portsmouth.

Stelling then delivered a speech that name dropped a number of big names, including British singer and boyhood Watford fan, Elton John.

"It's fantastic to see the people we've all worked with over the years," he said. "The likes of Alan Mullery and Clive Allen as well as all of the old gang.

"I've had some fantastic messages - Gordon Strachan texted me this morning, Neil Warnock, Kammy [Chris Kamara] of course.

"Elton John rang me this week. I was starstruck when Elton John rang me at home to say thank you so much for all you've done.

"And he said: 'Every week you tell me Watford are losing, and every week you tell me Hartlepool are losing so I feel like we're kindred spirits'.”

Who do you think Stelling should join next? Let us know in the comments.