Jurgen Klopp is absolutely delighted that Liverpool have signed Joel Matip from Schalke.

The 24-year-old defender will leave Schalke to join the Reds at the end of the season and his imminent arrival has Klopp feeling buoyant.

Matt played for many years against Klopp's old club Borussia Dortmund and the Liverpool manager believes it is a great sign that he can be enamoured by such a fierce rival.

"I am very happy. Everybody who knows him would have been interested," the Anfield boss told the club's official website.

"Maybe he's not the most famous player in England, but he's 24 and has played about 200 Bundesliga games for Schalke.

"He is a top-class centre-half, very young but experienced. You don't have that too often. To be honest, when I had my break I thought for the next club, I should think about Joel, if there was a need.

"He never played for my team, he did the extreme opposite - he played for their biggest opponent. Maybe that says a lot about his quality. Even when he played for the team you cannot love as Dortmund manager, you see his quality. Then that's real quality.

"The chance was there and Joel wanted to do something different. He is and was really close to his club; it's normal, he played there since he was a youth player. I think there was no chance for another Bundesliga club in this moment, but Liverpool was the right name and the right club.

"Maybe it was a little advantage that I know him and he knows me. He's still a young player and for a young player, it could help to make the decision when there's a manager from your home country.

"It's a good situation, hopefully a win-win. In this moment, it looks like this. Now he has to stay healthy and after the summer break we can start working together."

Matip is a German-born Cameroon international who has 27 caps for the country of birth of his father. He has spent his entire career with Schalke thus far.