After agent's update, midfielder himself speaks out & says Sunderland future remains undecided

Sebastian Larsson has told the media in his native Sweden that his future at Sunderland remains undecided.

Out of contract this summer, the player who turned 32 yesterday says he will not discuss his plans until after the upcoming round of international fixtures which take place during the next week or so.

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Ahead of Sweden's World Cup Qualifier with France on Friday night, the Black Cats veteran said:

Nothing is decided yet but I will surely have a lot to think about, but I'll be honest I have no answer as to what will happen.

I focus on the national team then I will take it after these matches.

With Sunderland yet to release their retained list - the annual return on those players the club intends to maintain under contract - Larsson also indicates that talks with the Black Cats hierarchy have yet to conclude and that he has offers from other clubs:

Nothing is clear yet. I've only talked briefly with my agent and we said that we will take stock after this match [Sweden's World Cup Qualifier]. But a couple of inquiries have surfaced and we'll see what happens.

The agent in question, Larsson's long-standing representative Per Jonsson indicated to the Swedish press earlier in the week that the midfielder has received approaches from around the world but that despite particular interest from clubs in his home country of Sweden, he intends to remain in England.

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And in yesterday's interview, the player himself says he is open to all offers, but that he intends playing in a top European league for a few more years yet:

You can ask about which countries in the world you want and I'll say the same thing. All doors are open to suggestions of entering. But I do not know what options are available yet.

What I will say is that I am motivated to continue and then it is obvious that you want to play at the highest level and that I have the opportunity to do that.

Evening Chronicle journalist James Hunter indicated earlier this week that both Sebastian Larsson and John O’Shea have been offered new deals at the Stadium of Light. So it is entirely possible that with a new manager not likely to be unveiled at Sunderland until the weekend at the earliest, those who have been presented with contract extensions are awaiting the identity of the successor to David Moyes before committing their future.

Seb Larsson joined Sunderland in 2011. Since then he's played over 200 games for nine different managers. The midfielder is one of the few long-serving players to have survived the unending series of successive regimes and philosophy changes at the Stadium of Light.

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Larsson featured 21 times in the Premier League during the campaign just ended. He returned to the side in December following knee surgery after Euro 2016.

A regular under David Moyes, the Swede was sent off against Manchester United at the Stadium of Light in April and copped a three-game ban but returned to the squad thereafter and featured for 90 minutes in both of Sunderland's final two games of the season at Arsenal and Chelsea.