Oh dear. Red flag, red flag. Céline Dion‘s inner circle is all abuzz about the undue influence her “best pal” and backup dancer (the exceedingly handsome) Pepe Muñoz (see above) has over her.

A source told Page Six:

“It’s crazy. She knows he’s gay and is accepting of it. She needs someone close to her and she fell in love. He’s turned into a René type.”

René, of course, being her Svengali-like late husband René Angélil.

“Pepe is like her boy toy who is really trying to take over. He’s isolating her and people are feeling it. She’s in love with this guy and listens to everything he’s saying. People go to him when they have questions. He’s fully taken over. The only people around her now [are] Pepe, the hairdresser and the stylist.”

So far Pepe — who’s also Dion’s creative director — helped orchestrate the exit of some of Dion’s senior team, including former stylist Law Roach.

Said another source:

“People are freaked out by it. He has this clique that he keeps very small. It’s Céline, himself, a hair person and the stylist. That’s the group — even management goes to him when they need something.”

Dion, for her part, has denied anything worrisome is going on, opening up to the Sun earlier this year.

“The press said, ‘Oh my God, René just passed and now there’s another man.’ Yeah, there’s another man in my life, but not the man in my life . . . We’re friends, we’re best friends,” she said.

So take that and do what you will with it.

(Photo: Avalon)