Avril Lavigne and her rocker husband Deryck Whibley are on the verge of a split, according to new tabloid reports.

According to the National Enquirer the pair - who wed in 2006 - has been troubled since Lavigne embarked on her world tour earlier this year, often leaving the couple thousands of miles apart.

A source tells the magazine Lavigne and Whibley "have been growing apart for months", adding, "Deryck isn't motivated in his own career, so he's been drinking and partying."

Rumours of their split were fuelled when Whibley was reportedly seen at an event on Thursday at a Los Angeles nightclub "huddled at a private table" and holding the hand of an unknown woman.

As Wenn went to press a spokesperson for Lavigne and Whibley had not returned requests for comment.