Simon Cowell not yet signed to Idol, but Ryan Seacrest is confident everyone will be back

Responding to a report that he was offered $144 million to renew his contract with American Idol, Simon Cowell said he has not yet signed anything, but that he’s currently in talks—although he dismisses the insanely high amount of money cited by British tabloids.

“I wish! Come off it. It’s absolute nonsense… crazy, crazy nonsense. Speculation. Not true. Nothing has been signed. … There hasn’t been a deal done. We’re talking to FOX. We have a very good relationship with them. As to what we’re going to do ongoing over a number of different bits and pieces…we’ll see… we are having conversations,” Simon told Extra’s Terri Seymour, who happens to be his ex-girlfriend.

However, Ryan Seacrest—who just signed his own three-year, $45 million deal—is confident that Simon and the other three judges will return, which apparently includes Kara DioGuardi. “Lots of conversations going on behind the scenes but I fully expect you will see the whole team next year,” Ryan wrote on Twitter today.