Liam Payne would welcome Zayn Malik back to One Direction with open arms.

Liam Payne

Liam Payne

Zayn left fans of the band heartbroken when he announced he was leaving back in March 2015. While Liam, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan have continued to make music as a four-piece, Liam insists he would always be happy to Zayn to rejoin the group.

Liam was asked if he would let Zayn come back as he spoke to photographers at Los Angeles' LAX Airport on Saturday (16.01.16), to which he replied: "Of course, I love Zayn - he's great!"

However, Liam did add the prospect was unlikely, adding: "Zayn's just doing his own thing."

And the idea of replacing Zayn to make One Direction a five-piece again is also unlikely, with Liam telling the TMZ.com cameraman: "There's enough people, we don't need any more."

There were rumours earlier this week that One Direction's 18-month hiatus could actually be a permanent split.

But Liam was quick to dismiss the claims, telling the photographers when asked if their break up was permanent: "No, no, no, no, no ... We've just been nominated for two BRITs!"

Zayn is currently working on solo material, with RCA Records CEO Peter Edge saying after signing the singer.

He said: "Zayn's a genius songwriter with an incredible voice and we are proud to have him join our iconic roster of superstars. We are thrilled he has entrusted us to deliver his personal artistic vision to millions of his fans across the globe."

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