Journalists rumoured to replace Alex Cullen on Today

Two female Channel Nine journalists are rumoured to be the front runners for Alex Cullen's sports presenter role on the Today show, after he was axed for accepting a $50,000 gift from billionaire Adrian Portelli. 

Insiders have told the Daily Mail that Roz Kelly and Danika Mason are the top contenders for the role, alongside Sarah Abo and Karl Stefanovic. 

They also claim that Kelly is "the obvious first choice" with her current role as the sports presenter on Friday and Saturday evenings, but she might not be too keen on taking the role. 

"She's polished and the viewers already know her and love her. But she's got two young sons and her husband has to travel to India a lot for work," the source told the Daily Mail. 

"Right now, her life is really finely balanced and in a good place so she might not be too keen to take on all the pressures and demands of live television five days a week." 

"Danika is also equally amazing and is the other really strong contender that everyone is talking about at the moment," the source continued. 

Another source suggested that Mason was actually the top pick for the position, as she already has a loyal NRL fan base. 

"Danika would have to be the top pick - she's an absolute live wire, which is what you need at breakfast, and is a hard-worker who throws herself into every challenge with everything she's got," they said. 

"While nothing has been decided as yet, she's definitely in strong consideration." 

Image: Nine/ Instagram