Wonderkid who REJECTED Chelsea seals RECORD transfer

Tom Weber

• Updated: 30 May 2023 07:34 BST
• 4 min read

Former Chelsea trialist Hugo Larsson has signed for Eintracht Frankfurt in what could be a record-breaking deal.

The Swedish prodigy went on trial with the Blues last season - even scoring in a game - and had the chance to sign a contract at Stamford Bridge. The then-17-year-old rejected the approaches from his 'favourite club,' however, as he felt staying in a familiar surrounding at Malmo and breaking into the senior squad there first would be better for his development.

"It’s clear," he told Expressen last year, "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."

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"It [the move to Chelsea] was a little too early. I did not think it would happen so fast. For me, it was better to continue my development at home, at Malmo. I want to break through at Malmo first before I go abroad."

It has proved to be a wise decision, though Chelsea may feel like he is one that got away as the 18-year-old has now found a new club.

— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) May 29, 2023

Frankfurt beat Dortmund

Eintracht Frankfurt have confirmed that they have acquired the central midfielder, who made 59 first-team appearances for Malmo. "Despite his age, Hugo was already an established player at the reigning Swedish cup winners, which speaks to his talent but also his personality," sporting director Markus Krösche said.

The club did not disclose the fee they paid for Larsson, but some reports claim that it could have been a record deal for a player coming from the Allsvenskan. According to Swedish paper Sportbladet, Frankfurt had to part with around €12 million, while Fabrizio Romano speaks of €11.5m, which would make him the league's most expensive export by some distance.

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Alexander Isak's €8.6m move to Borussia Dortmund is the current record, while second place is still held by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Ajax transfer in 2001.

Kicker, however, reports that Frankfurt merely had to pay €7.5m upfront for the 18-year-old, though you would imagine that this sum will increase further in the future and reach the spheres mentioned above.