The draw took place in Nyon, Switzerland, where the head coaches of sixteen elite teams gathered.
Naturally, Klopp's arrival immediately stirred excitement among the big names.
Mourinho was the first to approach. He had met Klopp during his last visit to Dortmund, and they were acquainted.
This time, Mourinho once again expressed his interest â he wanted to bring Ye Chen to his team during the summer transfer window. He was willing to offer â¬60 million!
However, Klopp declined without hesitation. "Ye is an essential part of our squad. He won't leave Dortmund for at least two more seasons!"
To Klopp, Ye Chen was untouchable.
As an ambitious coach, Klopp needed Ye Chen to help him achieve greater heights.
Now that Dortmund had reached the Champions League knockout stage, why not push further?
Of course, luck would play a role too.
Mourinho wasn't ready to give up. He planned to leverage his connections with Jorge Mendes to try and sway Ye Chen.
But Mourinho didn't realize that Mendes was only Ye Chen's short-term agent.
If Mendes acted against Ye Chen's wishes, Ye wouldn't hesitate to replace him!
Next to approach was Guardiola.
At the tail end of Barcelona's golden era, Guardiola knew relying solely on Messi wasn't enough. He desperately needed reinforcements to support Messi.
Ye Chen's outstanding performances had caught Guardiola's eye.
Guardiola even asked Messi about him, and surprisingly, Messi had been following Ye Chen's progress too.
However, Klopp's response remained the same.
Dortmund wasn't in a hurry to sell Ye Chen. He would stay for at least two more seasons.
Seeing Klopp's firm stance, Guardiola and Mourinho had no choice but to return to their seats and await the draw.
Meanwhile, Klopp received an invitation from Sir Alex Ferguson, who wanted to grab a drink after the draw.
Clearly, Ferguson wasn't ready to give up on Ye Chen either.
True to the rivalry between Manchester United and Manchester City, Mancini also approached Klopp, hoping to discuss a potential transfer.
But Klopp, citing exhaustion, politely declined.
Ye Chen was not for sale â not even for discussion.
Other players might be negotiable, but Ye Chen was off-limits.
Interestingly, Ferguson, known for his appreciation of Asian players, brought up Shinji Kagawa.
Suddenly, Klopp didn't feel so tired anymore.
As long as the price was right, he'd gladly send Kagawa to Old Trafford, tied up with a bow!
Naturally, other clubs were also interested in Ye Chen. But with his current market value, only the wealthiest clubs dared to make a move.
UEFA
UEFA Secretary General Gianni Infantino and special guest Paul Breitner appeared on stage.
Breitner, a Bayern legend who also played for Real Madrid, was featured in a short video after the Champions League highlights.
The video brought back memories for many of the coaches, reminding them of their own playing days.
The Champions League highlight reel, however, stole the show, featuring one stunning goal after another.
Mario Götze's last-minute winner against Marseille brought the crowd to a frenzy.
For the first time, Ye Chen appeared in an official UEFA video, celebrating passionately in the stands.
It was just a brief clip, but Chinese fans erupted with excitement.
After all these years...
A Chinese player had finally made it to the highest level of European football â even if just for a second!
Klopp, watching from below, was the happiest man in the room. Despite finishing second in the group, he was undoubtedly the star of the night.
And he owed it all to a 17-year-old Chinese prodigy.
Once the video ended, the host began explaining the rules of the knockout stage.
The first leg would see the second-place teams play at home, while the group winners hosted the return leg.
As a group runner-up, Dortmund would have to play the first leg at home.
Everyone knew that hosting the first leg could be a disadvantage â many great Champions League comebacks happened in the second leg at home.
The draw began swiftly.
The first matchup: Lyon vs. APOEL.
Lyon's fans were ecstatic â they couldn't have asked for a better draw!
Next up: Chelsea vs. Napoli.
Chelsea fans sighed. The team's recent form had been poor, and the Christmas fixture schedule had drained their morale.
Napoli fans were even quieter â their team was sitting sixth in Serie A.
"This is going to be tough..."
The third draw pitted Arsenal against AC Milan â a true clash of giants.
Fans on both sides were dismayed.
While high-profile matchups generated buzz, it also meant one powerhouse would be eliminated early.
Both Arsenal and Milan had massive fanbases, all hoping for a long run in the tournament.
When the fourth matchup was revealed, guest Paul Breitner couldn't hide his smile â nor could millions of German viewers.
Basel vs. Bayern Munich!
Bayern had struggled in the group stage, finishing second, but this draw felt like a gift.
"This must be rigged!"
Watching from home, Ye Chen couldn't help but complain.
Beside him, De Bruyne looked dejected.
Having previously played in the Champions League, De Bruyne was ineligible to represent Dortmund in the knockout rounds.
"Rumor has it they can manipulate the temperature and weight of the balls," Wang Chu whispered.
"Same here!" Mane nodded seriously.
Regardless, Bayern could already start preparing for the quarterfinals.
The draw continued â Leverkusen was matched against Barcelona, and Real Madrid drew CSKA Moscow.
Zenit, the other Russian side, faced Benfica â the team that knocked Manchester United into the Europa League.
With 14 teams drawn, only two remained.
Dortmund vs. Inter Milan!
"Oh no!" Mane covered his face.
"Our luck is terrible!" Wang Chu groaned.
Ye Chen winced. Inter Milan meant facing Zhang Kangyang's team â essentially, a Chinese derby.
Or was it?
Ye Chen pulled out his phone. Inter hadn't been acquired by Zhang yet.
Though Inter sat sixth in Serie A, they were focusing on the Champions League.
Inter had topped their group and held the advantage of playing the second leg at home.
Advancing further in the Champions League just became much harder for Dortmund.
As the draw concluded, Chinese fans flooded social media.
"17-year Ye Chen supporter! Let's go Dortmund!"
"Dortmund vs. Inter? Easy win!"
"People hyping Dortmund after watching Ye Chen need to chill â Inter is no pushover!"
"Prediction â Inter's defense locks down Ye Chen, Dortmund crashes out!"
"Ye Chen's Bundesliga goals don't count â Inter will expose him!"
"If Ye Chen scores against Inter, he wins!"
Fans from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, and Chelsea joined the debate.
Meanwhile, Manchester United and City fans quietly liked the posts...
Forget it â the Europa League draw was about to start!