Jose Fonte comments on Liverpool interest in Lille teammate Sven Botman

Liverpool have been linked with a move for young Lille defender Sven Botman, and a potential deal could be on the horizon, after teammate Jose Fonte all but confirmed the rumours with a cheeky message on Twitter.

The 20-year-old only moved to the French side in the summer, leaving Ajax in a deal worth £8m. But he has adapted to life in France superbly, boasting the highest duel success rate in Ligue 1.

And it appears that Liverpool may have registered some interest in signing Botman this winter, amid their own defensive injury crisis. The rumours were enough to draw Botman's Lille teammate and ex-Southampton man Fonte in to comment on the speculation on Instagram.

Squawka posted a picture of Botman, along with the caption, "[Fonte] could be losing another centre-back partner to the Premier League soon," to which the Portuguese defender replied, "Another one....Always happy to help."

Fonte played alongside centre-back Gabriel last year, before Arsenal signed the Brazilian starlet in the summer for around £27m after add-ons. He was also the centre-back partner of Liverpool hero Virgil van Dijk during his Southampton days.

The defender's cheeky message might suggest that he is bracing himself to wave goodbye to another partner in the winter window.

Liverpool are in need of some defensive reinforcements, with both Van Dijk and Joe Gomez set to miss the remainder of the season with long-term knee injuries. The Reds have subsequently begun to ship goals more frequently than last year, with Jurgen Klopp having to turn to makeshift centre-back Fabinho or academy products to fill the gaps.

The German coach must be keen to solve this issue in January, given his team are in the thick of a title battle with Manchester United.