Toni Kroos: ‘It wasn’t a straight chat-up line, but they offered to tell me more about Liverpool’

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has revealed how Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez tried selling him a move to Liverpool.

The 30-year-old Germany international was representing Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich at the time but eventually joined Los Blancos following a star turn at the 2014 World Cup finals.

How close was Kroos to joining the Premier League? Five key things to know…

• Kroos joined Real Madrid from Bayern Munich in 2014.
• Before that switch, he was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.
• Kross revealed a contract was done with then manager David Moyes, but once the Scot was sacked communication broke down.
• Liverpool duo Gerrard and Suarez sold him a move to Anfield but there was never an official approach.
• Since joining Real, he’s won three Champions League crowns and one La Liga title.

https://audioboom.com/posts/7510326

A year prior, Kroos was heavily associated with a move to England with then Premier League champions Manchester United at the front of the queue for his signature. His stock was continually rising since 2010 and many observers felt he’d be a perfect long-term replacement for Paul Scholes.

However, the Red Devils weren’t the only team closely monitoring him during the 2013/14 season, with arch-rivals Liverpool seemingly keeping close tabs, albeit not from an official standpoint as that interest came from their two star players.

The Reds were chasing a first league title since 1990 but would fall short, handing the championship to Manchester City, but their captain Gerrard and leading marksman Suarez were already thinking about strengthening their squad with Kroos firmly in mind.

A move never transpired and the Greifswald-born footballer ultimately left Bayern after racking up 205 appearances — subsequently registering 24 goals and 49 assists — for the Spanish capital, but he’s since recollected about those conversations and detailing why a switch to Old Trafford never happened.

Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.

“It wasn’t a straight chat-up line but they offered to tell me more about the club and so on,” he told The Athletic.

“The funny thing was, Suarez was about to leave to Barcelona anyway!

“David Moyes had come to see me and the contract had basically been done. But then Moyes was fired and Louis van Gaal came in, which complicated matters.

“Louis wanted time to build his own project. I didn’t hear anything from United for a while and started having doubts. Then the World Cup started and Carlo Ancelotti called. And that was it.”