Klopp says Man City snubbed Liverpool over potential Sancho move

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Jurgen Klopp has revealed Liverpool were interested in signing Jadon Sancho
They were left frustrated as Man City were unwilling to do business with them
Sancho joined Dortmund for £8m in 2017 and has since become a hot talent

Published: 17:55 EDT, 18 February 2019 | Updated: 19:18 EDT, 18 February 2019

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Jurgen Klopp has revealed Liverpool were interested in signing Jadon Sancho but were frustrated due to top Premier League clubs being unwilling to do business with each other.

Liverpool face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night and it was a discussion about the state of German football - and the reason so many Bundesliga clubs are keen on signing young English players - that led Klopp to name-check Sancho.

The 18-year-old left Manchester City in August 2017 and has become one of the hottest talents in Europe since Borussia Dortmund signed him for £8million; if the Germans ever look to sell Sancho, he will almost certainly cost more than £100million.

Jurgen Klopp has revealed Liverpool were interested in signing Jadon Sancho in 2017

Klopp believes his former club completed some shrewd business when they landed Sancho, but feels they had an easier task to get him because the Premier League's top six clubs would rarely - if ever - do business that would strengthen a rival.

'Buying English players is a smart idea because we would never have a chance to get Sancho,' said Klopp. 'We are not blind - we saw him, we liked him and then we think "Can we get him?" No. Because English clubs don't sell to other English clubs.

'I don't know exactly what the reason is for that but they don't do it. Now they can go to Germany which is a wonderful league. I don't see German football in a bad situation.'

They were left frustrated as Man City were unwilling to do business with Premier League rivals

For all that Bayern Munich have had a difficult season, Klopp is under no illusion about the task Liverpool face to try and reach the quarter-finals. Bayern have been to the semi-finals in six of the past seven season and appeared in the last in every season since 2012.

'The game is in a situation where the club (opponent) is not overly happy then it makes you more focused,' said Klopp, who is without the suspended Virgil van Dijk and is fretting about the fitness of Roberto Firmino.

'It gives you really 100 per cent concentration on that game, nobody is flying brain wise in Bayern at the moment because they chase the league in the Bundesliga and they want to be as successful as possible and want to be in the cup and all that, and everything is possible for them.

'So we have to be aware of that. That's what we are. We don't underestimate ourselves, we don't think we are not good enough.

'We are a proper competitive side that's really cool, and in our stadium with our people we are a proper force. Emotion is very positive so let's show it.'