Klopp has paid tribute to his former striker after it was announced this week that Salah would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
It's long been claimed Klopp wanted to sign Julian Brandt, now of Borussia Dortmund, from Bayer Leverkusen ahead of Salah in 2017.
He told the Anfield Wrap: "There is always a story that I wanted to sign Julian Brandt or someone like that.
"The situation with that is if you go for a winger, you talk to seven or eight.
"Yes we spoke to him, but we spoke to Salah. Whatever people think, I don't care, but in the moment we were convinced he was the one, more convinced than he was in that moment. Maybe inside he was."
On Salah's first days at Anfield, Klopp also revealed: "When we signed him, I remember he asked me where will I play.
"'Your position, right wing'. He said, 'But Sadio Mane is playing there. Don't you think he could play left wing?'
'That's for Coutinho'. He was really worried about if he would play.
"Can you imagine Mo Salah today compared to that young man at the beginning of his real career?"