Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp convinced Thiago Alcantara to reject a late bid to return to Barcelona to sign with the Reds.

That's according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who says Barcelona made an ambitious last-gasp swoop to sign the player who they sold to Bayern Munich in 2013.

But Romano, who was writing in the Guardian, that the Spain international had already made up his mind after several video calls with Klopp.

The Spaniard was apparently "convinced and enthralled" by Klopp's proposal, and ultimately decided the reigning Premier League champions were the perfect team for him.

Thiago himself was uncertain over his future before making the switch to Anfield and, at one stage, was expected to sign a contract extension with Bayern.

However upon arriving at the club's offices to commit to a new deal, the Spaniard performed a U-turn and is claimed to have said: “I want to think about it, I need to talk about it with my family, I'll update you all tomorrow."

Twenty fours later and he had agreed to sign for Klopp's Liverpool side, despite Barcelona's best efforts to secure his services.