Liam Payne is romancing an 18-year-old YouTube star

The pair enjoyed a date night at the upmarket Bulgari hotel in London last week, checking out within hours of each other, after hitting it off at a Dolce & Gabbana gala dinner in Tremezzo, Lake Como, last month.

And after the party in Italy, the 24-year-old singer was also seen partying with the Instagram star on board a luxury yacht in Cannes, France, though they are not yet in a "serious relationship".

A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Liam and Maya get on well -- and she's a stunning girl.

"They have kissed a couple of times, but he is in no rush to date again and certainly isn't ready for a serious relationship.

"Liam is simply focusing on work at the moment, and above all else obviously his main priority is Bear."

Maya has over 80,000 followers on Instagram but doesn't count the former One Direction star as one of them as he didn't want to attract attention to their budding romance, though he has been liking pictures her brother, Thomas Henry Jr., has posted on his account.

The source added: "Liam gets on really well with Thomas and Maya, and all of their gang.

"But he's too savvy by now to follow Maya on social media, as he knows he will be linked to any girl he does. He enjoys hanging out with the family because they're a great bunch and, clearly, have no interest in his money or fame."

The news comes just a few weeks after the 'Strip That Down' hitmaker was romantically linked with US model Cairo Dwek.