Harry Styles is reportedly thinking about quitting One Direction

A source close to the 21-year-old singer said: "Harry has told his friends that he wants to get into acting. He loves Los Angeles."

The 'Story of My Life' hitmaker is said to have grown apart from the group, which is also comprised of Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, over the past year and has also started working on several solo music projects.

The insider told E! News: "He's been writing with other artists like Meghan Trainor, Kodaline and Ariana Grande."

Another source said: "Harry has distanced himself from the rest of the band over the last year."

"He considers himself to be on a different path to the other boys. He certainly has hopes of doing solo stuff, branching out on his own, and so this might be the natural juncture in which to do that."

Despite Harry's ambitions, One Direction assured their fans they are planning to continue as a four-piece following Zayn's departure.

In a statement announcing the news, the group said: "We're really sad to see Zayn go, but we totally respect his decision and send him all our love for the future. The past five years have been beyond amazing, we've gone through so much together, so we will always be friends. The four of us will now continue. We're looking forward to recording the new album and seeing all the fans on the next stage of the world tour."