"He was an easy choice," Klopp was quoted as saying by the British media.
"I know in England it is really difficult to sign a player without paying a transfer fee but I thought it cannot be a reason not to take him only because you cannot put a number behind his name.
"If you asked in Germany what other clubs would have paid for him had he still been under contract, you can just pick a number.
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"You cannot play in a club like Schalke for six years without having big quality. He can be a really good centre-half in the Premier League."
The manager also confirmed that Liverpool's pursuit of Matip was his initiative and not down to the club's transfer committee.
Matip is Klopp's second signing at Liverpool after Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic agreed to join the Premier League club from Red Star Belgrade at the end of the season.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)
