Emil Larsen is reportedly close to officially departing Columbus.
The Crew SC midfielder has been linked with a move to Lyngby BK of the Danish Superliga. According to a report from the Danish soccer website Bold.dk, the two clubs have been in contact with one another regarding a potential transfer.
Lyngby tæt på Emil Larsen https://t.co/lE5PMPXemA #sldk #Lyngby #mlsdk #ColumbusCrew
— bold.dk (@bolddk) July 4, 2016
Report: Columbus Crew SC Midfielder Emil Larsen Linked with Move to Former Club
Rumors of Larsen leaving Columbus have been rampant over the past few weeks. The 25-year-old has seen scant playing time since signing with Crew SC on January 22nd, appearing in just three regular season matches. He did start Crew SC’s 4-0 U.S. Open Cup win against Tampa Bay as well as a 1-0 victory in a friendly with Liga MX side Veracruz. That said, he was apparently unhappy in playing just 31 MLS minutes up to this point.
Then came a report from Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch on Saturday stating that Larsen had returned to his native Denmark. Crew SC head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter indicated that multiple clubs had expressed interest in Larsen.
#CrewSC MF Emil Larsen has returned to Denmark. Still under contract, but Crew exploring its options, SD Gregg Berhalter said.
— Shawn Mitchell (@shecky218) July 2, 2016
If the reports are true, this wouldn’t be the first time Larsen had played for Lyngby. The Danish winger began his professional career with the club in 2009. That year, he was the leading goal-scorer in Denmark’s second tier and helped Lyngby secure promotion to the Superliga. In total, he had 25 goals in 83 appearances over four seasons.
Larsen has international experience at multiple age levels for Denmark. This includes five caps with the senior national team. In early June, Larsen was called up to the Danish under-23s for a series of friendlies in South Korea. Against Nigeria, he had a hat trick in a 6-2 win for the Danes.
Larsen is not the first off-season signing to depart the club. Center back Amro Tarek, who had been brought in on loan from Real Betis in Spain‘s La Liga, was waived on May 5th. This after indications he was similarly dissatisfied in the minutes he was receiving.
The Black and Gold are back in action this coming Saturday when they travel to Foxborough, MA to face the New England Revolution. It marks the first meeting between the clubs since forward Kei Kamara was dealt from Crew SC to the Revs. The game kicks off at 7:30 PM ET.
Photo courtesy of Columbus Crew SC Communications
