On Wednesday, 19th July, Football Club Barcelona have revealed that Oriol Romeu has signed a three-year contract with the club after joining from Girona.
Romeu returns to the Catalan giants for a second tenure, and it is thought that he will be introduced during the club's upcoming tour of the United States.
“FC Barcelona and Girona FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Oriol Romeu. The player will sign a contract with the club for the next three seasons, until 30 June 2026, and his buy out clause is set at 400 million euros.” The FC Barcelona said in its official statement.
The midfielder began his career with Barcelona in 2004, rising through La Masia and into the first team before joining Chelsea in 2011.
Romeu continued his career with Valencia, Stuttgart, and Southampton. He then returned to Girona in 2022, where he played an important part last season.
It is unclear how much Barcelona spent for Romeu. According to reports, a fee of roughly €4.5m was agreed upon, with Pablo Torre also moving the other way on loan.
About Oriol Romeu
Oriol Romeu Vidal is a Spanish professional footballer who has played as a defensive midfielder for football clubs like La Liga club Barcelona and FC Barcelona.
Romeu began his career as a reserve player for Barcelona. He joined Chelsea for €5 million in 2011, and spent time on loan at Valencia and VfB Stuttgart before joining Southampton four years later. He appeared 256 times for Southampton before joining Girona in La Liga in 2022. Romeu represented Spain up to the under-21 level and was a member of the under-17 team that won the European Championship in 2008. He also represented his country at the 2012 Olympics.
Romeu represented Spain in the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, playing four matches and assisting his team to victory.
He made his professional debut with Barcelona in 2009 and quickly rose through the ranks of the under-19 and under-20 national teams, appearing prominently in the 2010 UEFA Under-19 Championship elite qualification phase.
Romeu was a member of the Spanish side that was ousted from its group at the 2012 Olympics, appearing as a replacement in their first match and starting the final.
Catalonia called up Romeu for a friendly against Venezuela in March 2019. He made his debut as a second-half substitute in Girona's 2-1 victory.