Ilkay Gundogan has confirmed that he held talks with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp before leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer.
The German international completed his switch to the Etihad, after signing a four-year deal in June. According to the BBC, the English club had to shell out a fee of £20m in securing the midfielder's services.
Klopp took charge at Anfield after replacing Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool last October. His move to the Merseyside club comes just months after stepping down from his post at the Signal Iduna Park.
Gundogan played under Klopp at Dortmund, under whom he went on to develop as one of quality midfielders. Before deciding to join City, the German consulted his former coach and after receiving positive response, he decided to swap the Bundesliga for the Premier League.
"Of course I talked to Klopp. I asked if I would fit in the Premier League and he said 'definitely, definitely yes'. He wishes me the best and me also for him," Gundogan told Sport360.
"The Premier League is a really, really big competition. When I was in Germany I followed the games and it was always like the biggest league in Europe and it's proving now more and more like this when you see which coaches are now joining the Premier League and which players."
City have new manager Pep Guardiola after the Spaniard left Bayern Munich to join the English side. Gundogan became the former Barcelona manager's first summer signing and the midfielder remains confident that the "best coach" can guide City to the top.
"Anything is possible for this club. I think Pep knows what he has to do and what he has to change. That's why he is the best coach for me at the moment. He will bring us to the best level we can play," he stressed.
