Beyonce and husband Jay-Z are reportedly set to splash out on a spectacular rural estate in the Cotswolds, joining a growing list of US megastars snapping up homes in the British countryside. The superstar couple are said to be in the final stages of purchasing 58 acres of land on the outskirts of Wigginton, where plans have already been approved to build a “spectacular rural estate”. If the deal goes through, the pair will be just minutes from Great Tew, the Oxfordshire village long favoured by celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham.

But not everyone in the area is rolling out the red carpet. Gerry Barrago, 77, who lives close to the now-closed White Swan Inn, shrugged: “I don’t give a flying toss.” He added that his wife often spots the couple in their classic Range Rovers at Burford Garden Centre. “When someone points them out to my wife, her first reaction is to ask who they are. Some of these so-called celebrities I’ve never actually heard of.”

Locals at Wigginton’s pubs are equally cautious. With the closure of the White Swan, Beyonce and Jay-Z could find themselves at The Falkland Arms in nearby Great Tew.

But one staff member said she was reluctant to welcome the American couple: “We love our local clientele and we don’t want the couple’s arrival to bring in a different sort.”

Other residents raised concerns about house prices and village life. Thomas Winter, 30, said: “The ethos of the area has changed due to the influx of Londoners and big names buying property.

“It could make it even harder for people like me to get on the housing ladder.”

Still, not all reactions were gloomy. One villager called the move “madness,” while another said they “couldn’t wait to see Beyonce at the village fete”.

Property consultant Owain Jones confirmed the land was on the market for £7.5million, but insisted that once the mansion is complete it could be worth “north of £18million”.

He described the Cotswolds as the “Hamptons of the UK,” thanks to members’ clubs like Soho Farmhouse and luxury hotels such as Estelle Manor.

Reports suggest Beyonce and Jay-Z’s new home could feature seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms and a lake. Earlier this summer, the pair were spotted arriving by helicopter to view a nearby mansion.

A source told Daily Mail’s Eden Confidential that the couple are eager to put down roots in Britain: “They will always be based in LA but the UK is on the agenda. Beyonce loves the UK because they support everything she does.”

It wouldn’t be the first extravagant purchase for the power couple. In 2017, they moved into a Malibu mansion renting for £300,000 a month before splashing £66million on an eight-bedroom Bel Air palace.

And just last year, they broke records with a £150million Malibu home — the most expensive property ever sold in California.

If their Cotswolds deal closes, Beyonce and Jay-Z would join a list of transatlantic A-listers — Ellen DeGeneres included — swapping the glitz of LA for rural Britain.