Liverpool look to have suffered a transfer blow in their hopes of signing Lille centre-back Sven Botman, with Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano suggesting that he is unlikely to be joining the Reds.

The Dutch centre-back has been touted as a potential option for Jurgen Klopp's side throughout the transfer window but it appears as if he will be staying with Lille in Ligue 1, for now at least.

The 21-year-old has impressed with Les Dogues since joining from Ajax in last summer's transfer window, having made 22 appearances in the French top-flight, in which he has averaged a superb 7.08 rating.

Whilst the Reds are seemingly close to signing Ben Davies from Preston North End and Ozan Kabak from Schalke before the deadline, neither have reached the levels of performance of Botman so far this season.

Davies has averaged a 6.82 rating for his performances in the Championship, whereas Kabak has earned a worrying 6.39 average rating for his performances in the Bundesliga, suggesting that on current form at least, Botman would have been a better option than both.

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Botman also outscored both Davies and Kabak when it comes to interceptions and aerial duels won on average this season, despite playing in a better side, considering Preston's level and Schalke's dreadful form in recent times.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the 21-year-old is currently a better player than both, so it is a shame that he won't be joining Klopp's side this season, as he could've been a great addition to the squad, especially considering the current injury concerns.

Sports journalist Robin Bairner was full of praise for the Lille man on Twitter recently, saying:

"Sven Botman has been simply brilliant for Lille this season. It's incredible that it's his second season playing first-team football."

Therefore, considering his performances this season, you would hope that the Reds will consider reigniting their interest in Botman in the future, as he looks to have a huge amount of potential.

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