Simon Cowell has approached Elton to revive the sagging fortunes of The X Factor USA, insiders said according to a report of the Daily Mail.

The 52-year-old music mogul is assembling a new cast for the next series of the talent contest after firing host Steve Jones and two judges – Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul. The show was beaten in the ratings by its rival American Idol, and also faces stiff competition from another talent show, The Voice, which is being picked up by the BBC.

Now Cowell is said to have turned to Sir Elton after making offers to several celebrities, including Mariah Carey. One source said: 'Persuading Elton to do anything – even a guest spot – won’t be easy. He is playing Las Vegas and has almost back-to-back tour dates and a baby to bring up. Family is taking priority in his life. Simon is hoping money may land him but realistically the most he could be paid for a whole series is between $20million and $25million, and that kind of money means nothing to a superstar like Elton.

'Firing your judges before you have new ones in place is a brave move but it won’t be the first time Simon has gambled and won.' A spokesman for Sir Elton declined to comment. Cowell’s spokeswoman said discussing prospective judges would be 'utter speculation'. It was previously claimed that Cowell was approaching both Beyoncé and Mariah Carey to revive the panel. And reports suggested that Cowell was prepared to pay new mother Beyoncé a staggering $100million for the role.

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