Naby Keita has claimed that he turned down offers from Bayern Munich and Barcelona in favour of a switch to Liverpool.
The highly-rated 23-year-old made the move to Anfield from German outfit RB Leipzig for £62 million last summer, but has only just joined the Reds this summer, with him remaining in Germany for one last season being part of the deal with RB.
Via The Guardian, the midfielder was asked whether Bayern and Barca took a shine to him when he was playing in the Bundesliga and the player responded: "It's true to say that there were other teams involved like the ones you mentioned. But a big part of my decision was the role of the coach.
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"We had good conversations. The words he spoke to me about this project really convinced me. I could see how the club was developing and I spoke at length with Sadio [Mane].
"Sadio is like a brother to me. We had nine months together at Salzburg and built up a good rapport. We have been great friends since that time. He told me what a great club this was and how the team was progressing and had great potential."
Keita has also claimed that he used to play in a Steven Gerrard Liverpool top when he was playing football as a child. He appears to be a big supporter of the club he now plays for.
Liverpool supporters are excited to see the player in action for them and have taken to social media to express their delight.
The Reds will be hoping to build on what was a brilliant 2017/18 season, where they finished fourth in the league and made it all the way to the Champions League final, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid at the final hurdle.
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