Malmo midfielder Hugo Larsson has revealed he turned down the chance to sign for Premier League giants Chelsea.
Chelsea were interested in signing Swedish teenager Hugo Larsson from Malmo, but the midfielder has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join them. The youngster came on the Blues’ radar before impressing for the club’s Under-19 side in this season’s UEFA Youth League.
A Malmo Under-17 captain, Larsson was promoted to the club’s Under-19 side just last summer, making him eligible to feature for them in the UEFA Youth League. He continued excelling in age-group football for the Swedish side, who then promoted him to the first team. Larsson made his first-team debut for Malmo this past Monday (April 11).
The teenager recently revealed that he trained with Chelsea and also played a tournament in Belgium for them, scoring a goal. However, he felt that moving to the Premier League giants would have been a step too far for him, and he was happy to continue his development in Sweden.
He revealed that he wants to cement his spot in the Malmo senior side, and excel in Sweden before moving abroad.
Hugo Larsson (2004) made his Allsvenska debut for Malmö FF vs. Elfsborg at home. Congrats ??⭐️? pic.twitter.com/yxNoeOeKYs
— Magnus Agnar Magnusson (@totalfl) April 12, 2022
“It’s clear that it was a great experience to go and play with Chelsea. I trained with the team and also got to go to a tournament in Belgium. I also scored a goal there,” Larsson said, as quoted by Expressen (h/t Sport Witness).
“It [Chelsea move] was a little too early. For me, it was better to continue my development at home, at Malmö. I want to break through at MFF [Malmo] first before I go abroad.”
Larsson is an out-and-out central midfielder and is considered one of the biggest talents in Sweden. The Blues were quick to recognise the youngster’s talent and tried to snap him up, but to no avail. As Larsson continues his development at Malmo, it would be interesting to monitor his career and see if he indeed reaches the heights expected of him back home.
It would also make for a great story if the 17-year-old joins another Premier League club in the future and impresses against Chelsea.
