Toni Kroos has revealed that David Moyes' sacking as Manchester United boss ended the Red Devils' interest in the midfielder and that Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard also tried to talk him into a move to Liverpool.
A World Cup-winning midfielder was preparing to head for the exits at Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014.
As one of the finest playmakers in European football, there was no shortage of interest in the Germany international.
United were leading the hunt at one stage, with Moyes having made Kroos a top transfer target .
He was, however, to be replaced by Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford and the Dutchman opted to shelve interest in a pass master.
That left the door open for others, with star turns at Anfield doing all they could to get Kroos to Merseyside before he eventually opted for a switch to Real Madrid.
Quizzed by The Athletic on the interest shown in by Gerrard and Suarez, Kroos said: “It wasn’t a straight chat-up line but they offered to tell me more about the club and so on.
“The funny thing was, Suarez was about to leave to Barcelona anyway!”
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Kroos added on being ghosted by United: “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.”
Kroos has continued to be linked with moves to England in the years that have followed, but is committed to a long-term contract in Madrid .
That is likely to prevent any Premier League challenge from being taken on, with Kroos admitting that there is little chance of him taking in a reunion with his former Bayern boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
“I want to finish my career at Madrid, so I’d say it’s very unlikely,” he said.
“But I loved playing for him and could have renewed my contract at Bayern, of course. I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to sign a deal just because of the manager, however.
“Pep wanted me to renew but what would have been the point of me signing a five-year deal if the manager was off again soon?
“He went to Man City two years later but we’re still in touch and get on very well. I will never forget it because I learned so much.”
