Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed he spoke to Manchester City forward Erling Haaland before moving to Liverpool this summer.

Newly signed Szoboszlai became Liverpool’s second signing of the summer when he arrived in a £60m deal from RB Leipzig.

The Red’s new number eight follows a path from Red Bull clubs to Merseyside that has been well-trodden in recent years by the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Takumi Minamino and Naby Keita.

Man City star Haaland is another Red Bull alumnus, and the two spent time together at Salzburg between 2018 and 2020. Szoboszlai has revealed he has remained ‘close’ with the Norwegian forward, who even gave him a message about the Premier League before he signed for Liverpool.

“We are still close, we chat when either of us has time,” Szoboszlai told The Athletic. “We message each other or call each other. Before I joined Liverpool, he just said ‘get ready!’ but he knows I’m ready. He told me it is a crazy league and I’m going to love it.”

In the interview, it is known that Haaland and Szoboszlai are now neighbours, with the Hungarian moving into a house close to his old teammate in Cheshire.

Recaping on Haaland’s success, he added: “I’m not surprised by how well he has done at Man City. I knew what he could do and how much work he puts in. He’s an unbelievable player.

“I know all about the rivalry between Liverpool and the Manchester clubs, but I’m ready. That’s why I’ve come to Liverpool. I want to watch how it feels when I’m playing in those games.”

Also in the interview Szoboszlai revealed that a lack of Champions League football this season was in no way off-putting when deciding whether to join Liverpool this summer, but maintains it is the goal for future seasons.

“Of course, every player likes to play in the Champions League, it’s the highest level of football with the best teams, but I didn’t think about the Champions League when I heard Liverpool wanted to sign me,” he said.

“When Liverpool have interest to sign you, you have to work for it. I wasn’t thinking about the Champions League at all, but all I want to do now is make sure we are back there where we normally should be.”