Leroy Sane has revealed that he twice turned down the chance to work with Jurgen Klopp before eventually joining Manchester City in 2016.
The Germany international was a target for Klopp during his time at Schalke 04, where he caught the eye with a string of dazzling displays in the Bundesliga.
Sane did not consider quitting the Veltins-Arena to join Borussia Dortmund as a youngster, though, and he also rejected advances from Liverpool ahead of agreeing to sign for Man City 18 months ago.
"Yes, I was also talking with [Liverpool]," he told The Guardian. "Jurgen was calling me too, talking to me. That was before I joined City.
"He did a good job at [Borussia] Dortmund – I met him when he was there. He's a good guy, nice guy – honest. He [has] worked well with Liverpool.
"There was a time when I was still in the academy that I could have gone there from Schalke [to Dortmund] but there were no thoughts at all to move to a rival."
Sane is a part of the City squad that will travel to Anfield on Sunday afternoon, as the Citizens look to keep their unbeaten domestic run going.
No Data Analysis info
Germany
Switzerland
Hungary
Scotland
Spain
Italy
Croatia
Albania
England
Denmark
Slovenia
Serbia
Austria
France
Netherlands
Poland
Romania
Belgium
Slovakia
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Georgia
Czech Republic