Mane: Klopp tried to sign me for Borussia Dortmund

The Senegal international says the German coach had been courting him for years before they were finally united at Liverpool in the summer

Sadio Mane has revealed that Jurgen Klopp tried to sign him for Borussia Dortmund before luring him to Liverpool.

The midfielder was highly rated at Red Bull Salzburg, where he spent two years and scored 31 goals in 63 Bundesliga games, before joining Southampton in 2014.

Mane, 24, moved to Liverpool in the summer for a fee of £34 million, but he admits he could have been united with his current coach much earlier.

“Before I came here, I had the chance to meet Klopp when he was at Borussia Dortmund,” he told BBC sport.

“I was at Red Bull Salzburg and he tried to sign me – but it didn’t happen and that is football.

“He is a good manager and he is someone who likes his players

“At the end of last season, he called me and told me he wanted me to come to Liverpool.