Spears in Cowell's sights for X Factor

Simon Cowell would hire Britney Spears to be a judge on the X Factor "if he could get her".

It is rumoured the TV mogul is in deep negotiations on a multimillion-dollar contract to secure Britney on the talent show.

Simon won't confirm or deny whether or not Britney is indeed the production team's final choice.

"If it was my decision, [I'd] 100 per cent [go for Britney]… if we could get her," Simon told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show.

Other famous faces linked to the X Factor panel include Fergie, Beyonce Knowles, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.

Simon remains coy about who will ultimately appear on the programme.

"We'll have to find out very soon if we've spoken to [Britney]," Simon said.

"Don't forget there are a lot of names that have been bandied around, some true, some false. But we've said to everyone we've spoken to, we've got to keep quiet about it. You got to wait until people sign up, but we're very, very close."

It is believed that Britney is being offered a $15 million contract to appear in the second season.

Britney's fiance Jason Trawick is believed to be handling the negotiations.

The first round of X Factor auditions began on March 1.

- Cover Media