Samsung Electronics has been in talks with LG Chem to make it one of its smartphone battery suppliers, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said on Monday.

Samsung currently procures Note batteries from group firm Samsung SDI and China's Amperex Technology.

Chosun Ilbo quoted an industry official as saying that there was more than a 90 percent chance of a deal being struck and said that Samsung Electronics would likely begin procuring LG Chem batteries from the second half of next year.

A Samsung Electronics spokeswoman did not have immediate comment.

Samsung Electronics announced the recall of 2.5 million fire-prone Note 7s in early September, a fault that was attributed to a defect in Samsung SDI battery. In October, it pulled the plug on the $882 device after replacement phones using batteries from China's Amperex Technology also caught fire.

LG Chem currently makes phone batteries for its affiliate LG Electronics and Apple.