Jørgen Strand Larsen is not allowed to leave FC Groningen. A bid of ten million euros, made by the English Middlesbrough, has been Football International resolutely rejected by technical director Mark-Jan Fledderus, who plans not to let his top scorer go just before the start of the season. “We also want to perform,” he said.
There is foreign interest for the Norwegian striker, for whom Bologna and now Middlesbrough are serious in the market. However, previous offers of around seven million euros have already been rejected and Groningen has now even decided to also sweep a bid of around ten million euros from the English corner. Fledderus, who does not want to comment on amounts, explains why on the club site. “For a certain amount he could go with a resale percentage. If that isn’t on the table, it’s gone.”
“That applied up to and including the last practice match against Osasuna”, the technical director continues. “That was also clear to Jørgen and his agent. That deal is now off the table and now we are trying to do everything we can to keep Jorgen on board. Bologna has bid twice, as has Middlesbrough, which offered a lot more than Bologna. He sees such a step, but also understands the club. We want to talk to Jorgen about an upgrade of his contract. That is the status at the moment. Nobody knows how it will go, but we will do everything we can to keep him on board with a good feeling.”
Groningen took over Strand Larsen in the summer of 2020 for 1.1 million euros from the Norwegian Sarpsborg 08, where the striker went through a large part of his youth academy. Larsen was loaned to AC Milan by Sarpsborg as a youth player, but failed to impress with the Under 19 team in Milan. Finally, Strand Larsen broke through in the Sarpsborg main squad, scoring nine times in 61 official games and providing the same number of assists. At Groningen, the striker developed rapidly. Strand Larsen scored 26 goals and eight assists in 67 official games.
Last season, Strand Larsen impressed in particular with fourteen goals in the Eredivisie and three in the TOTO KNVB Cup. In addition to Bologna and Middlesbrough, Feyenoord also had him on the radar this summer. If he does walk out the door this summer, Strand Larsen will most likely match or break Marcus Berg’s outgoing transfer record. The Swedish striker left for Hamburger SV in 2009 for no less than ten million euros. After Berg, Luis Suárez (Ajax, 2007) and Ritsu Doan (PSV, 2019) are the highest outgoing transfers at FC Groningen with an amount of 7.5 million euros.
