Wild claim Jennifer Lopez could ‘rebound from Ben Affleck with ex-fiancé Alex Rodriguez’ after split: Friends say she wants to be ‘strategic’ about ‘imminent’ divorce – but ‘cheating isn’t a dealbreaker anymore’

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are clearly on the outs – with a divorce announcement ‘imminent’ according to multiple sources. But when will an announcement come?

‘She likes to dump news on a Friday,’ a J.Lo insider exclusively tells DailyMail.com, adding that the singer tends to be ‘strategic’ with her announcements and that she may wait until she can pair it with news of a Vegas residency or another commercial tie-in.

‘She is a very smart cookie,’ the source said.

Meanwhile, some friends are predicting that J.Lo might sensationally rebound to her former fiancé and Yankees star Alex Rodriguez (‘A-Rod’).

‘He was always her best match,’ one friend says, despite reports that A-Rod’s alleged infidelity led to the collapse of their engagement in 2021. ‘I don’t think cheating is a dealbreaker for her anymore. I think she won’t announce the split until she has someone else lined up in any case.’

The friend added: ‘[A-Rod and J.Lo] were matched in terms of the lifestyle, the looks, the grooming, the private jets and all the rest of it. They were great together; they were a good match. We would not be surprised if they got together again. It was a long-term relationship and their families got really close, they were blended.’

A-Rod and Lopez started dating in 2017 after he saw her in a restaurant and tapped her on the shoulder.

They went red carpet official at the Met Gala Ball that May. And when he proposed with a $4 million diamond ring in 2019, they received a handwritten note of congratulations from former US President Barack Obama.

They spent Covid lockdowns together at A-Rod’s Miami mansion but sensationally broke off their engagement in February 2021 after he was linked to reality star and model Madison LeCroy.

A-Rod is currently dating fitness guru Jaclyn Cordeiro.

These revelations come after I reported Wednesday that friends now fear Affleck, who has been in and out of rehab, might be ‘drinking again’ and suffering ‘acute sadness’ as his marriage collapses.

 One insider claimed: ‘I hear that he is drinking. He is full of demons – a really troubled person.’

Representatives for Affleck did not respond to requests for comment, but insiders also revealed that J.Lo’s mother has now ‘turned against’ Affleck – as has the 54-year-old singer’s manager Benny Medina, who is said to ‘openly dislike’ him.

‘He (A-Rod) was always her best match,’ one friend says, despite reports that A-Rod’s alleged infidelity led to the collapse of their engagement in 2021. ‘I don’t think cheating is a deal-breaker for her anymore.

‘The reasons why [the marriage] hasn’t worked out are many,’ a source said, ‘but when you lose J.Lo’s family, you lose J.Lo.’

After a swift Vegas marriage following the rekindling of their decades-old romance in 2022, the ‘Bennifer’ fairytale has swiftly collapsed.

They are reportedly seeking a buyer for the $60 million, 12-bedroom and 24-bathroom mansion that they bought to live in together with their children.

On Sunday, the couple spent four hours at the property, locked in a summit meeting.

Last month, Affleck moved out to a $100,000-a-month rental in Brentwood. Soon after, J.Lo cancelled her entire summer tour in an apparent last-ditch attempt to salvage the marriage.

As I reported Wednesday, an insider said: ‘I understand that he has checked out of the marriage… but she thinks that with therapy they might make it.’