Lennon sought out Slowhand as he set about establishing a new band, pitching to Clapton they could “make the kind of sound that could bring back the balls in rock 'n' roll”

A handwritten letter from John Lennon to Eric Clapton that invited the guitarist to join a "super-group" is going to auction.

John Lennon complained of the “torture” of touring with The Beatles as he attempted to recruit Eric Clapton into a supergroup of musicians.

The Lennon letter is dated 29 September 1971 - shortly after the release of the Imagine album and the Lennons’ move to New York. In it, the ex-Beatle proposes a group that would include Klaus Voormann on bass, Jim Keltner on drums, Nicky Hopkins on piano and Clapton as lead guitarist.

A handwritten letter that John Lennon wrote to Eric Clapton inviting him to be part of a new supergroup is to be offered at auction next month.