Jurgen Klopp says Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk had a role in the signing of Cody Gakpo, but felt the draw of joining Liverpool was the key factor.
The Reds have agreed to sign the Dutch forward from PSV Eindhoven in a deal worth 40-50m euros (£35.4m-£44.3m).
Gakpo, 23, starred at the recent World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals as the Netherlands reached the quarter-finals.
“We didn’t need Virgil to convince him,” said Klopp.
“Virgil was involved from a specific moment on, but we didn’t talk to him because there was no reason for it when I was allowed to speak to him.
“Some of these nice moments when you are manager of Liverpool and you think you have to convince someone, but when you speak to them you realise the door is wide open – that this is more or less a home run.”
Gakpo has been in fine form this season, scoring nine goals and providing 12 assists in 14 league games for PSV.
He has also managed three goals and registered two assists in five Europa League outings.
Manchester United had been heavily linked with a move for Gakpo, who said Van Dijk had told him that joining Liverpool would be “the right move”.
“We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last days,” Gakpo told Liverpool’s official website.
“What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club, but also like a real family.
“I think that’s also very important for me because I’m a family guy. He said only good things.
“I’m also happy that he’s here, so he can help me with some stuff. I’m really grateful to be here.”
Liverpool play Brentford on 2 January, although that game could come too soon for the paperwork to be sorted that would enable Gakpo to make his debut.
The Reds now have plenty of competition in attack with Gakpo joining fellow forwards Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino.
Jota and Diaz are currently injured, but asked whether Gakpo’s signing could impact Firmino’s future at the club, Klopp added: “No.
“We had talks with Bobby. From my point of view I want him definitely to stay. It has no impact.
“If it affects Bobby then you’d have to ask him.”
