The British superstar has handed over the finished record to his label and had planned for it to come out towards the end of the year to coincide with his new documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, but plans are up in the air because the 77-year-old singer is battling a serious eye infection that has left him with limited vision.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Elton has quietly been working on the album all year. The initial plan was for a Christmas release and to end the year on a high with the new album and his new documentary.

"But his health has meant things are up in the air. A few people are surprised that Elton has managed to complete it by the end of the summer, but now it has officially been handed in."

Elton, who retired from touring in 2023, recently revealed there are a string of young British pop stars he is keen to collaborate with.

"There are plenty of young singers around. I mean, this has been the summer of the great female singers and songwriters. Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX and Gracie Abrams - they've just ruled it. They've made records that are really good songs, and they brought a lot of joy to the people. And the songs are really good songs, so I'm happy to sing with any of those people," he told Variety.

Elton added that Swift is the biggest "phenomenon" since The Beatles.

"She's a great songwriter, she's a great artist and she's a phenomenon. I've never seen a phenomenon like that since the Beatles, and she works her ass off, so good luck. Good luck to her."

With AAP.