‘I won plenty under Pep Guardiola but regret snubbing Jurgen Klopp after chat’

Mario Gotze has admitted he regrets rejecting Liverpool after his heart-to-heart with Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp took over at Liverpool in October 2015 and went on to enjoy an illustrious nine-year spell at Anfield, winning top titles including the Premier League and the Champions League. However, it was during his first summer spell ahead of the 2016/17 season that the German was given the opportunity to shape his new squad.

That summer, rumors swirled that Gotze was on Liverpool's radar, but instead the midfielder opted to leave Bayern Munich and rejoin Borussia Dortmund, where he once worked alongside Klopp.

Götze, now 32, reflected on his bond with Klopp from their time together at Dortmund and shared all about their discussion about an unfortunate potential move to Anfield eight years ago.

“In 2016 I almost went to a famous team in England called Liverpool,” Götze wrote in The Players' Tribune. “The coach there was a guy called Jurgen Klopp.

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

“We didn't talk much about football. He didn't say, 'How can I convince you? What do you want? He asked me about life in general.'

“I think he said something like: 'Look, Mario, you will play a lot and have fun here. I know that's the most important thing for you. The club is great. Think about it'. I really wanted to go back play for him.”

However, Gotze's desire for immediate success clouded his judgment and caused him to avoid the then mid-table Reds, reports the Liverpool Echo.

“But I also wanted to win things straight away,” Götze added. “I was so impatient! Liverpool had just finished eighth in England and Dortmund had finished second in Germany.”

The current Eintracht Frankfurt ace added: “So I went back. And as much as I love Dortmund, I feel like I missed a special trip with Jurgen.

“I didn't understand that he needed time to build a great team at Liverpool. It wasn't actually necessary for me to play in the Champions League straight away. I just didn't think that far ahead.”