Liam Payne has hinted that Zayn Malik will not be involved in the rumoured One Direction reunion.
The pop star took to Instagram to have a live chat with DJ Alesso on Sunday night – and asked him if he’d like to join the band in Zayn’s place.
‘Most of us are in London. We’ve been trying to arrange the first group FaceTime at the moment,’ Liam explained, adding: ‘You can come and fill in for Zayn. Join the band!’
No show: Liam Payne has hinted that Zayn Malik will not be involved in the rumoured One Direction reunion
This seemed to confirm that Zayn – who quit the band in 2015 – won’t be taking part, despite fans speculating that he would be.
Last week Liam confirmed he has been ‘speaking’ to his band mates again ahead of their 10-year anniversary this year.
The singer, 26, teased that he ‘couldn’t give too much away’ as he spoke to James Corden on the Late Late Show via video chat.
Speaking to Alesso, Liam saud: ‘Most of us are in London. We’ve been trying to arrange the first group FaceTime at the moment,’ adding – ‘You can come and fill in for Zayn. Join the band!’
Replacement? The pop star took to Instagram to have a live chat with DJ Alesso on Sunday night – and asked him if he’d like to join the band in Zayn’s place
And he revealed to Alesso that he’d been scolded for teasing the reunion.
‘I can’t say too much. Louis told me off for revealing a bit about our plans the other day. So I had a group telling off on the group chat,’ he explained.
Liam did little to quash rumours the band would be reforming to celebrate the milestone, following reports that they would be returning with new music.
Exciting times! Liam confirmed he has been ‘speaking’ to his One Direction band mates again ahead of their 10-year anniversary
He told James: ‘I’m not allowed to say too much obviously because I would be giving it away.’
‘We’ve been speaking a lot more at the moment, I think we are all feeling that that ten year…it’s a very special moment.’
Liam suggested that so far he has only spoken to Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan on FaceTime recently, while he didn’t mention Harry Styles or Zayn.
It comes following reports that their long-awaited reunion has been reportedly thrown into doubt by the coronavirus pandemic.
Back together? The singer, 26, teased that he ‘couldn’t give too much away’ as he spoke to James Corden in home version of the Late Late Show
Teasing: Liam did little to quash rumours the band would be reforming to celebrate the milestone, following reports that they would be returning with new music
The band are reportedly in early talks to mark their 10-year anniversary this summer, but a source has claimed the plans may not come to fruition due to their tour commitments and the nationwide lockdown.
A source told The Sun: ‘They are back in touch but talks between them are online about something small to mark the anniversary.
‘A reunion with all five members is a wonderful idea but in practice these things take a long time to arrange and it doesn’t seem feasible at the moment.
Hush hush! The Strip That Down hitmaker, told James: ‘I’m not allowed to say too much obviously because I would be giving it away’
‘And with the continued threat of coronavirus, it is unlikely they will be able to get together for the anniversary.’
Despite fears the cornavirus pandemic could hinder plans for a reunion, it was also reported by Page Six the outbreak helped unite the iconic boyband again by ‘putting their differences into perspective.’
The current COVID-19 crisis has allegedly helped unite the five-piece again, putting their ‘differences into perspective’ as they work towards a common goal.
An insider said: ‘There’s still a long way to go and a lot of hurdles. But there’s a lot of goodwill between them now and they want to make something happen.’
Special: ‘We’ve been speaking a lot more at the moment, I think we are all feeling that that ten year…it’s a very special moment’
MailOnline was the first news outlet to report on Monday that all four boys had started re-following Zayn on Twitter.
Furthermore, the Pillowtalk singer has gone from being listed as ‘ex-member’ to ‘vocals’ on Google search.
In addition, all five of the boys’ albums are now back on Apple Music – with the banner image changed to an old picture featuring Zayn – and their official website has been reactivated.
Another source continued to Page Six: ‘Each of the boys wants to somehow thank the fans for their ten years of loyalty.
Reunited: Liam suggested that so far he has only spoken to Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan on FaceTime recently, while he didn’t mention Harry Styles and Zayn Malik
‘Despite each of their solo successes, each of them knows that the greatest thanks they can give to their fans is for them to do something together in tribute to where things began.’
On Monday, #OneDirectionReunion began trending on Twitter after the boys all followed Zayn again, following his departure from the band in March 2015 and severing ties with his former friends.
However, Zayn – who has become more private since embarking on a solo career – has yet to follow them back.
No more bad blood: In a surprise turn of events, all four boys have all recently re-followed ex-member Zayn Malik – as has the official One Direction Twitter account
Delighted: Fans began receiving Twitter notifications about the news, five years after departure from the band in March 2015 and severing ties with his former friends