I turned down Liverpool transfer after Jurgen Klopp chat but now I regret it

Eintracht Frankfurt star Mario Gotze has revealed how he rejected the chance to join Liverpool after a chat with Jurgen Klopp. The Reds were heavily linked with signing Gotze during Klopp's time as the club's manager.

Klopp was appointed as Liverpool boss in October 2015 and spent nine years at Anfield where he won several major honours, including the Premier League and Champions League. It was ahead of the 2016/17 season that Klopp had his first summer transfer window as the club's manager.

Gotze was credited as a potential target for Liverpool that summer, before going on to leave Bayern Munich to return to Borussia Dortmund. The 32-year-old worked alongside Klopp during his first spell at Dortmund, and has revealed that he spoke to the former Reds boss about the prospect of moving to Anfield eight years ago.

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"In 2016, I nearly went to a famous team in England called Liverpool," wrote Gotze for The Players' Tribune. "The coach there was a man named Jurgen Klopp."

Gotze added: "I went to his house in Liverpool, where we sat down together in the living room with our wives. What makes Jurgen special is that he sees Mario the person.

"We did not talk much about football. He wasn’t saying, 'How can I convince you? What do you want?'

"He asked me about life in general, and I think he said something like, 'Look, Mario, you’ll play a lot, and you’ll have fun here. I know that’s the most important thing for you. The club is amazing. Have a think about it'. I really wanted to play for him again.

"But I also wanted to win things right away. I was so impatient! Liverpool had just finished eighth in England, and Dortmund had come second in Germany."

Gotze went on to explain why he has regrets about deciding to join Dortmund instead of reuniting with Klopp at Liverpool.

"So I went back. And as much as I love Dortmund, I do feel that I missed out on a special journey with Jurgen," Gotze concluded.

"I didn’t understand that he needed time to build a great team at Liverpool. There was not really any need for me to play in the Champions League right away. I just didn’t think that far ahead."