Adele is on the verge of signing a £90m record contract to secure the biggest deal handed to a British musician, according to reports.

The contract with Sony Music would the £70m EMI paid for Robbie Williams and will be the most given to any female artist, dwarfing the £70m Arista paid Whitney Houston in 2001.

A source at Sony Music told The Sun that Adele's contract was negotiated by her manager Jonathan Dickins.

The source said: "Jonathan's been putting it together for a couple of years. He was very aware of her worth in the market and stood firm to push for the £90m."

According to the Sunday Times Rich List, the 28-year-old singer is already worth £85m.

A spokeswoman for Adele declined to comment.

The largest recording contract remains the £164m Sony paid Michael Jackson's estate, nine months after the singer's death.

The deal included 10 new recordings, his back catalogue and franchising.