You sense that Jurgen Klopp would have preferred the fact he came close to joining Bayern Munich to remain a secret.

Unfortunately for the Liverpool manager, discretion deserted Uli Hoeness in the build-up to this evening’s Champions League last-16 clash at Anfield, the German club’s president revealing talks took place between the two parties in 2008.

At that point, Klopp was bringing an end to seven years in charge of Mainz in order to set out on a career-defining journey at Borussia Dortmund.

But the Stuttgart-born boss would have ended up at Bayern instead had Jurgen Klinsmann’s achievements as a player in Munich not earned him the biggest job in German football.

It seems churlish to suggest that the Bavarians missed out in not appointing the charismatic Black Forest native given they have won seven out of 10 Bundesliga titles in the years since.

Yet it is fairly instructive that the three occasions they failed to clinch the German title during that run comprise Klinsmann’s solitary season in charge and the two years that Dortmund did so under Klopp.

Links between the two have continued to surface at regular intervals since the Reds boss departed the Westfalenstadion in 2015.

And, while he did not shy away from describing the edge present in his previous encounters with Bayern at his pre-match press conference, Klopp certainly didn’t seem in the mood to burn bridges.

Asked about their rivalry, Klopp said: “There was never any negative thing for Bayern, but when we played each other and when they bought our players, how can I be happy and say ‘yes, great idea!’

“That was not nice for us at Dortmund, but it is part of the business and it was a long time ago. I was never able to be angry for a long time. In these moments I was not happy.

Stadiums then and now 7 show all Stadiums then and now 1/7 Liverpool, Anfield One of the most historic stadiums in England, Anfield is famous for its Champions League nights under the lights.



The image depicts Liverpool’s Kop End in 1969 and 2018.



The modern-day banner shows the dates of all of Liverpool’s Champions League wins, which all took place after the older image was taken.



One ever-present feature throughout both images is the use of scarves, with the stand resembling a wall of red before kick-off. Betway Insider 2/7 Manchester United, Old Trafford Old Trafford is the biggest stadium in English club football with a capacity of over 74,000.



Famously described as the “Theatre of Dreams” by Sir Bobby Charlton, the stadium has seen its fair share of success, with Manchester United winning a record 13 Premier League titles. As the image shows, the stadium has been expanded considerably since 1966.



The dugouts have also changed format, swapping traditional stand-alone benches for heated seating held within the South Stand. Betway Insider 3/7 Aston Villa, Villa Park One of England’s most recognisable stadiums, Villa Park has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals in its time, more than any other stadium.



The historical image shows Villa Park without seating in 1966, the same year that it was one of the host stadiums for the World Cup. That's a stark contrast with the 42,682 seated capacity stadium of today.



Despite the club currently being in English football’s second tier, the home crowd still averages around 32,000 per match. Betway Insider 4/7 Fulham, Craven Cottage Situated on the banks of the River Thames, Craven Cottage is perhaps the stadium that has changed the least in this series.



In the historical image, Fulham are hosting a trial match in 1947. You can see the famous cottage situated between the Johnny Haynes Stand and Putney End.



Although the original Cottage burned down in 1888, the one we see today has been standing since 1906.



The stadium still maintains some of its traditional features such as the historic triangular gable on top of the Johnny Haynes Stand, one of the few remaining in British football. Betway Insider 5/7 Newcastle, St James's Park Often described as the “Cathedral on the Hill”, St. James' Park showcases one of the biggest stadium changes on this list.



Between the historical stands, you can catch a glimpse of the listed buildings that prohibit any expansion of the East Stand beyond its current capacity, something that still remains an issue today.



In the historical image, we see Newcastle United fans waiting for the return of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now the Europa League) after their victory in 1969. The stadium changed beyond recognition between 1993 and 2000, increasing its capacity from 30,000 to over 52,000. Betway Insider 6/7 Ipswich Town, Portman Road Portman Road has been the home of Ipswich Town for over 130 years.



Promotion to the Premier League created the funds for stadium improvement in the early 2000s, raising the capacity to just over 30,000.



The foreground image was taken during 1960s, the first decade in which a totally synthetic football was produced, meaning it absorbed far less water than its leather predecessor.



Another notable feature of the image is the floodlights that tower over Portman Road. As the decades have passed, the standalone floodlights have been succeeded, with their counterparts being placed on top of the stands for better coverage and illumination. Betway Insider 7/7 Everton, Goodison Park Goodison Park is a staple of the Premier League, with Everton playing more seasons in the top flight than any other team.



This stability that has allowed Everton to greatly improve and expand their stadium since 1966, which you can see from the contrast between the old and new stadiums photographed.



Although commonplace in today’s stadiums, the Toffees were the first team in the country to install a scoreboard.



Intriguingly, when Everton beat Southampton 8-0 in September 1971, the scoreboard didn’t have enough room to display all of the goal scorers' names, and simply read “7, 9, 7, 9, 8, 9, 9, 7” Betway Insider 1/7 Liverpool, Anfield One of the most historic stadiums in England, Anfield is famous for its Champions League nights under the lights.



The image depicts Liverpool’s Kop End in 1969 and 2018.



The modern-day banner shows the dates of all of Liverpool’s Champions League wins, which all took place after the older image was taken.



One ever-present feature throughout both images is the use of scarves, with the stand resembling a wall of red before kick-off. Betway Insider 2/7 Manchester United, Old Trafford Old Trafford is the biggest stadium in English club football with a capacity of over 74,000.



Famously described as the “Theatre of Dreams” by Sir Bobby Charlton, the stadium has seen its fair share of success, with Manchester United winning a record 13 Premier League titles. As the image shows, the stadium has been expanded considerably since 1966.



The dugouts have also changed format, swapping traditional stand-alone benches for heated seating held within the South Stand. Betway Insider 3/7 Aston Villa, Villa Park One of England’s most recognisable stadiums, Villa Park has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals in its time, more than any other stadium.



The historical image shows Villa Park without seating in 1966, the same year that it was one of the host stadiums for the World Cup. That's a stark contrast with the 42,682 seated capacity stadium of today.



Despite the club currently being in English football’s second tier, the home crowd still averages around 32,000 per match. Betway Insider 4/7 Fulham, Craven Cottage Situated on the banks of the River Thames, Craven Cottage is perhaps the stadium that has changed the least in this series.



In the historical image, Fulham are hosting a trial match in 1947. You can see the famous cottage situated between the Johnny Haynes Stand and Putney End.



Although the original Cottage burned down in 1888, the one we see today has been standing since 1906.



The stadium still maintains some of its traditional features such as the historic triangular gable on top of the Johnny Haynes Stand, one of the few remaining in British football. Betway Insider 5/7 Newcastle, St James's Park Often described as the “Cathedral on the Hill”, St. James' Park showcases one of the biggest stadium changes on this list.



Between the historical stands, you can catch a glimpse of the listed buildings that prohibit any expansion of the East Stand beyond its current capacity, something that still remains an issue today.



In the historical image, we see Newcastle United fans waiting for the return of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (now the Europa League) after their victory in 1969. The stadium changed beyond recognition between 1993 and 2000, increasing its capacity from 30,000 to over 52,000. Betway Insider 6/7 Ipswich Town, Portman Road Portman Road has been the home of Ipswich Town for over 130 years.



Promotion to the Premier League created the funds for stadium improvement in the early 2000s, raising the capacity to just over 30,000.



The foreground image was taken during 1960s, the first decade in which a totally synthetic football was produced, meaning it absorbed far less water than its leather predecessor.



Another notable feature of the image is the floodlights that tower over Portman Road. As the decades have passed, the standalone floodlights have been succeeded, with their counterparts being placed on top of the stands for better coverage and illumination. Betway Insider 7/7 Everton, Goodison Park Goodison Park is a staple of the Premier League, with Everton playing more seasons in the top flight than any other team.



This stability that has allowed Everton to greatly improve and expand their stadium since 1966, which you can see from the contrast between the old and new stadiums photographed.



Although commonplace in today’s stadiums, the Toffees were the first team in the country to install a scoreboard.



Intriguingly, when Everton beat Southampton 8-0 in September 1971, the scoreboard didn’t have enough room to display all of the goal scorers' names, and simply read “7, 9, 7, 9, 8, 9, 9, 7” Betway Insider

“It is a big club, it was a big competition for us in Germany. I wish Dortmund would be the champions of course, but that’s pretty much all!”

There is no doubt that, one day, Bayern would still like quite like to scratch the Klopp itch, to bring in a fourth key figure from the last team foolish enough to dethrone them following Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski.

But they may find tempting the famously loyal Liverpool boss more difficult than his former charges.

Particularly should this evening’s game provide further proof that Bayern need Klopp more than he needs them.