Manchester City talisman Kevin de Bruyne says Jurgen Klopp wanted to sign him earlier in his career, and he was open to the move.
De Bruyne has become a key player at City since his £55m move from Wolfsburg in 2015, scoring or assisting 102 goals in 170 appearances.
But his previous experience in England was not as productive, as he made just nine appearances at Chelsea before leaving for Wolfsburg in January 2014.
That transfer came after a successful loan spell at Werder Bremen, which De Bruyne says attracted interest from a number of Bundesliga clubs including Klopp's Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund had twice finished runners up to Bayern Munich, and in an interview with Player's Tribune , De Bruyne says he would have been tempted by playing under Klopp.
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Now at Liverpool and fighting City for the title, Klopp may regret the decision of Jose Mourinho to keep De Bruyne at Chelsea for a further six months before allowing him to move to Wolfsburg midway through the 2013-14 season.
De Bruyne said: "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.'"
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