Michael Jackson has been in the newspapers over the last few weeks more than he has been in years and today yet another story is circulating about him.

As we all know, Michael will be in the UK later this year for a run of shows in London’s O2 Arena and his time in the country will overlap with that of the live X Factor shows. So, surprise surprise, Simon Cowell is trying to secure Jackson as a guest on the hit talent show presumably hoping to get in early and stop him being snapped up by rival show, Strictly Come Dancing.

Last year Simon secured a performance from Britney Spears on the show, which caused headlines for all the wrong reasons, Jackson would be an even bigger coup.

A source told The Mirror: “Britney was a massive coup for Cowell. But he’s determined to raise the bar even higher and secure Jacko’s services.

“He is perhaps one of the few artists who could outshine Britney. The only sticking point is that while Britney had her new album to promote, Jacko’s shows have sold out in minutes and don’t necessarily need the publicity. But Cowell won’t let that stop him. He is determined to get his man.”