Ryan Seacrest is a candidate to take the reins from the outgoing Pat Sajak as the next host of "Wheel of Fortune" ... and we've learned discussions are in the very early stages.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Ryan is an option to replace Pat and he's been talking to Sony about potentially taking over for the retiring host. We're told Ryan has some time in his schedule now to possibly make this work, as he's no longer on "LIVE with Kelly and Ryan."
Sony owns "Wheel of Fortune" and there are reports about a field of unnamed candidates ... though it's unclear who is on the list aside from Ryan. Bloomberg was the first to report Seacrest was a possibility.
What's also interesting ... Ryan was a longtime pal of the late Merv Griffin, who created 'Wheel' -- so you gotta wonder if that factor is helping to propel Ryan's interest.
As we reported ... Pat announced this week he was going to step down as host in 2024 after 41 seasons running point on "Wheel of Fortune." Pat was hired as the host way back in 1981 by Merv.
Ryan, of course, has tons of experience hosting TV shows ... he was the original host of "American Idol" in its heyday and also hosted 'Live' with Kelly Ripa ... so he would make a lot of sense here.
Ryan's rep declined to comment.