Mario Gotze suggests he almost followed Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool

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Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze has suggested in an interview with SportBild that he almost followed Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool in 2016.

The playmaker was playing for Bayern Munich at the time, and was under the management of Pep Guardiola.

Speaking of the relationships he had with his former bosses, Gotze said (translated by The Liverpool Echo): “When I see Pep, we always talk to each other. But I have regular exchanges with Klopp.

“He brought me to the professionals at the age of 17 and made everything possible for me. Our contact is never broken.

After a tricky time at the Allianz Arena, Gotze returned to Dortmund in the summer of 2016, but not before holding talks with Klopp about a possible reunion at Anfield, he claims.

He said: “He [Klopp] knew then that I would leave Bayern.

“Of course, we also exchanged views within the framework. He knows me very well and knows that I am always looking for new challenges.”

TBR’s view

Clearly Gotze has a lot of respect for Klopp, as do a lot of his former players given his charming nature.

It is therefore unsurprising to read that he was open to working with his former manager in England.

Whether Gotze to Liverpool would have been a good signing is another thing though.

He was undoubtedly one of the most highly rated young footballers in Europe before moving to Bayern, but that move has seemed to halt his development a bit.

Now aged 26, World Cup winner Gotze is arguably not near the level many anticipated he’d reach.