Jeremy Doku met Jurgen Klopp and offered Mohamed Salah a shirt -but Sadio Mane seemed to dissuade him from joining Liverpool.

Five years ago Jurgen Klopp thought he would sign Jeremy Doku as a possible replacement for Sadio Mane – but the ex-Liverpool star has succumbed to the decision.

And now the Reds boss has to deal with the Belgian winger who is set to move to Manchester City.

talkSPORT understands the 21-year-old is on his way to the Etihad after agreeing a £55million transfer fee with Rennes.

However, it was Liverpool who were the first to secure his services as it looked like they had beaten Arsenal and Chelsea to move Anderlecht forward in 2018.

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After being allowed to speak to the then 15-year-old, Doku was given a tour of the club’s former training ground in Melwood. He also spoke to boss Klopp and then Under-18 manager Steven Gerrard, and was even given a signed shirt by Mohamed Salah.

But it was an interview with Mane, whose place he would take in the future, that convinced him to stay at Anderlecht.

Speaking to Ouest-France in 2021, Doku said of the proposed transfer: “My 16th birthday was approaching, the age where you can sign a professional contract.

“Many teams came to me: Liverpool had the most concrete interest, but there were also Arsenal and Chelsea.

“I went with my mom and dad and we got a tour of the stadium, the training ground and even the school I was going to. “They gave me a shirt autographed by Salah and I got to know the players.

“I had the chance to consult with Jurgen and also with Gerrard, we watched some video moments and he talked about the development.

“We met players, [Simon] Mignolet because he was Belgian, [Georginio] Wijnaldum from Holland.

“I talked a lot with Mane, but we didn’t really talk about football. We talked about everything. “He told me that I was young, that I still had time…he didn’t want to convince me or tell me: ‘Come here, you will succeed.'”

Doku added: “I preferred to be careful. I know what my trajectory should have been like.

“That’s why I said to myself at 15 that it was serious because I saw my career. I know where to go and at that moment I knew that I had to stay at Anderlecht.

“Whenever people ask me if I regret it I always say no because if Liverpool came to me when I was 15 and they love me they will come back later for sure.” It’s up to me to play well.”

The 16-capped international finally joined Rennes in 2020 for a club record fee of £25.5m, scoring 12 goals in 91 appearances in all competitions for the French side.