50 Cent wants to make ''a lot of money'' with Zayn Malik.

The 39-year-old rapper is keen to tempt the former One Direction star away from his long-time mentor Simon Cowell with the promise that they could make millions together.

He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: ''I want it to happen. I can make him a lot of money and he can make me a lot of money. The point I am making is he needs to be working with the right producers, artists, and people in the genre.

''Some of the pop star rappers are a little cringe, and he doesn't want that.''

Despite insisting he wanted to live like a ''normal 22-year-old'' when he quit the band amid rumours he'd cheated on his Little Mix star fiancee Perrie Edwards earlier this year, Zayn is believed to have already begun working on solo material with close pal and producer Naughty Boy.

However, after a number of public spats between the 'La La La' hitmaker and his former bandmate Louis Tomlinson, Zayn could be tempted to travel to the US to work with 50.

The 'In Da Club' hitmaker - whose real name is Curtis Jackson - has an estimated net worth of £101 million thanks to his numerous business ventures.

In addition to owning G-Unit Records, he also has a clothing range under the same name, produces and stars in the US TV series 'Power' and has appeared in a number of movies including the upcoming 'Southpaw' alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.