Barca close on Romeu for €5m & Pablo Torre

Barcelona want to make the signing of Oriol Romeu official. The former Southampton player, under contract until 2025 at Girona, has been chosen to fill the vacancy left by Sergio Busquets in Xavi Hernandez's defensive pivot. His national and international experience, in addition to his past at Barca's academy, make him an ideal candidate. Nil Sola, in 'Carrusel Deportivo', reports that there is already a deal in place.

The transfer will be for around 5 million euros plus add-ons, with a loan move of Pablo Torre included. This allows the Camp Nou offices to avoid paying Romeu's termination clause, which was a lot, and will find an outlet for a pearl that came to Barcelona from Racing Santander and that, so far, has not found sufficient space to develop his talent at the Camp Nou.

The intention of the Girona bosses was to acquire the services of Nico Gonzalez, but the Catalan club's coaching staff want him to do the full tour of the United States, so leaving was not an option for him. Barca had sent him on loan to Valencia in 2022-23, where he made 26 appearances, 18 of them as a starter, and pulled himself one goal and one assist.

In the meantime, Barcelona were crowned La Liga champions, in part because of the work of Sergio Busquets, whose position must be filled by a trustworthy replacement so as not to jeopardise Xavi's style of play. Busi was a mainstay for more than a decade, so it is understandable that the issue of his replacement is being approached with great caution, and with a careful eye kept on Financial Fair Play regulations.

 

July 14, 2023