President-elect Donald Trump has just gained a new opening in his inauguration ceremony line-up after Andrea Bocelli stepped down from performing.

The Italian tenor was reportedly courted by Trump in person last week after performing at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The President-elect is a huge fan of the tenor, having booked him to perform at a private party at his club in Florida in 2010 before attending a Bocelli concert with his family a year later.

However, although Bocelli neither confirmed nor denied that he would be performing at the ceremony, the news of Trump's approach was enough to inspire backlash among the singer's fans, who expressed their disappointment at the prospect of him performing for Trump on social media.