On Wednesday, Barcelona announced that they have re-signed former academy player Oriol Romeu from Girona. The midfielder has signed a three-year deal with the LaLiga champions. Romeu originally came through Barca’s youth academy and made his senior team debut in 2010. He then moved to Chelsea a year later. After his time at Chelsea, the 31-year-old had loan spells at Valencia and Stuttgart before spending seven years at Southampton.
Romeu spent a year at Girona, where he played a key role in helping the team secure a 10th-place finish and accumulated over 3,000 minutes on the pitch. Now, he is making his return to Barcelona, with 20-year-old midfielder Pablo Torre heading the other way on loan.
Barcelona expressed their excitement about Romeu’s return, stating that the midfielder has valuable experience and a strong understanding of the club’s style of play, which aligns with Xavi Hernandez’s vision for the team. They believe Romeu will make an immediate impact.
It is worth noting that Barcelona has included a buyout clause of 400 million euros ($449.12 million) in Romeu’s contract.
Romeu joins Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez as Barcelona’s fourth signing of the close season, with Vitor Roque set to join the club next year.