Kevin De Bruyne has opened up on his time at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, and revealed that Jurgen Klopp had attempted to sign him.
Klopp was Borussia Dortmund manager at the time and was impressed with what he saw from the Belgian, who spent 2012 on loan at Werder Bremen.
De Bruyne said he was open to the idea of signing for Dortmund, because he is a big fan of the style of football Klopp plays.
But a quick chat with then Chelsea boss Mourinho put an end to a move.
"When I was at Chelsea, there was so much in the press about my relationship with Jose Mourinho. But the truth is that I only ever spoke to him twice," De Bruyne wrote in The Players' Tribune.
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"The plan was always for me to go on loan for a bit. So I went to Werder Bremen in 2012, and that season went great.
"When I came back to Chelsea the next summer, a few German clubs wanted to sign me. Klopp wanted me to come to Borussia Dortmund, and they played the kind of football that I enjoy. So I thought maybe Chelsea would let me go.
"But then Mourinho texted me, 'You are staying. I want you to be part of this team.' So I thought, ' OK, great. I'm in his plans.'"
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De Bruyne was hopeful that he would finally become an important part of Mourinho's first team at Stamford Bridge, but it wasn't to be.
After the first four games of the season the Belgian found himself back on the bench without an explanation from his boss.
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And after a chat with Mourinho in his office, De Bruyne decided it would be best for him to leave Chelsea to secure game time elsewhere.
In 2014 De Bruyne put pen to paper with Wolsburg, where he came on leaps and bounds. A year later he was back in the Premier League with Manchester City, where he has won the title.
