“Klopp reveals failed negotiations for De Bruyne and Mané at Dortmund.”

Jürgen Klopp has just revealed one of the biggest secrets of his time at Borussia Dortmund: the club was one step away from securing not one, but two of the biggest names in world football, and both slipped through his fingers for surprising reasons. Kevin De Bruyne and Sadio Mané could have worn yellow and black, radically changing the recent history of European football – but small details and external decisions prevented it.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach, now 59 years old, revealed during his appearance as a commentator on MagentaTV that, in the summer of 2013, De Bruyne was practically on the verge of signing with the German club. “He is a top, top player. And I practically had him in Dortmund,” Klopp recalled, describing how advanced the discussions with Chelsea were. An agreement between the clubs was already in place when José Mourinho, then the coach of the London side, halted the transfer. “José didn’t want to,” Klopp explained, adding that Mourinho advised the Belgian: “Stay a little longer at Chelsea and try your luck.” This decision, according to Klopp, turned out to be a mistake for De Bruyne, who barely played under the Portuguese manager and eventually moved to Wolfsburg in early 2014.

De Bruyne did not stay long at Wolfsburg, but it was enough for him to become one of the biggest stars in the Bundesliga, opening the doors to Manchester City. In England, the Belgian midfielder established himself as one of the best in the world, winning several national championship titles and the much-coveted Champions League. “The good relationship we have today comes from the fact that we really wanted to work together at that time. Unfortunately, it never happened,” Klopp lamented, emphasizing: “It was a shame. It would have been very good for us.”

But the surprises didn’t stop there. Klopp also revealed that Sadio Mané, now a European champion, was very close to joining Dortmund. The Senegalese even traveled to Germany for meetings with the club, but the German coach admitted to a misjudgment: “I misinterpreted. He was insecure, and I read that the wrong way. I thought he wasn’t ready yet.” Thus, Mané ended up choosing Southampton, where he quickly made a name for himself – proving to Klopp that his assessment had been incorrect. Fate would reunite them years later at Liverpool, where they together won the Champions League and the Premier League.

These revelations from Klopp not only show the behind-the-scenes of major decisions in elite football but also illustrate the impact that a simple detail can have on the course of careers and clubs. If De Bruyne and Mané had headed to Signal Iduna Park, it is plausible to imagine a Borussia Dortmund that was even more dominant, perhaps capable of interrupting Bayern Munich’s hegemony in Germany and competing on equal terms in European nights. For Klopp himself, these episodes leave a mark of frustration: “These are situations that stay forever. We wanted it so much, but football is made of these moments and these choices,” commented the German coach.

However, the future was already mapped out for these stars. De Bruyne became a key player at Manchester City, while Mané shone at Anfield under Klopp’s guidance. For Borussia Dortmund, the lesson remains and the memory of how football is, above all, a game of opportunities – and how sometimes, the smallest detail can forever alter the fate of players and clubs. The German club continues to keep an eye on the market with renewed ambitions, determined not to let the next big star slip away. Klopp’s revelation only reinforces the idea that, behind the scenes of football, there are always stories to be told – and that every failed transfer can be the beginning of a legend on another stage.