Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles go house hunting

Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles are house hunting in the UK.

The married music stars are said to be searching for two properties - a luxury home in London and a sprawling country estate.

The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper reports: "Jay-Z and Beyonce are quite taken with jolly old England. Word has it, the couple - aided by Madonna's own real estate agent - have been scouting for both a house in Mayfair, London's priciest neighbourhood, and an estate in the countryside near Oxford."

It is believed Jay-Z is keen to have a base in the UK because he is planning to invest in one of the country's top soccer teams after falling in love with the sport. The hip-hop mogul is already a part-owner of basketball team the New Jersey Nets.

Meanwhile, it has been claimed Beyonce's father-and-manager Mathew Knowles is determined to secure a lucrative Las Vegas residency for his superstar daughter.

It has been reported Mathew is on the brink of agreeing a deal to make Beyonce the "resident star" at the Wynn Hotel Casino for five years. If the deal goes ahead, it could reportedly earn the 28-year-old singer "hundreds of millions" of dollars.