"Yes, I spoke with him two or three times [before joining Liverpool]," Ibrahima Konate told Sky Sports about Jurgen Klopp.
"If Jurgen Klopp calls you, you think a lot about this! He does not call you for nothing!
"But we speak a lot, about me, my private life, about him also, the club, the mentality of the players, everything.
"It is not just me and him, you know, it is about everything I take this decision - the mentality of the club, the players with who I will work every day, about the city, about everything and with this, I made my decision.
"I asked him if I will play or not," the Frenchman added, "and he said, 'yes, you will play.' He did not tell me, 'yes you will play a lot like you are the first defender, or you will not play a lot like you are the last defender.'
"But it was always like that with me - when I was with Sochaux, when I go to Germany, the coach never told me, 'Yes you will play a lot.'
"No, it is always with me, I train a lot and after step by step, I win my place and why not with Liverpool I cannot do this? And this is good, as after this, I will work a lot."
Konate joined Liverpool last summer from RB Leipzig for a fee in the region of £36 million and has already impressed the fans and the coaching staff alike.
The ex-France youth international is just 22 years old and can only improve in the coming years - which tells us that Liverpool might've pulled off another bargain deal.
