Oriol Romeu is now a new Girona footballer. The Catalan team and FC Barcelona closed this Monday the loan of the 32-year-old midfielder for one season and without a mandatory purchase option. The man from Ulldecona left the Barça preseason last Friday to close his negotiation with Míchel's men, understanding that he would not have much of a role with Hansi Flick on the bench.
In that sense, the good performances of Marc Casadó and the possible signing of another defensive pivot opened the door for '18', who in 2023/24 was also unable to earn the starting position under the orders of Xavi Hernández. In total, the footballer played 37 games (1,435 minutes) on his return to Barça, adding one assist and making only 17 starts. Romeu began the campaign as a starter, but after November he was relegated to the bench.
Romeu will seek to recover his best version at Girona
Now, the Catalan will seek to recover the level shown in 22/23, where he was one of the best '5' in LaLiga. Míchel prioritizes his return after the departure of Aleix García (he signed for Bayer Leverkusen) to rebuild the midfield of a team that will compete in its first Champions League after finishing third the previous season. For Barça, the '18' was one of the possible permanent discards, although Hansi Flick was counting on him.
At first there was speculation about the possibility of a transfer or exchange with Girona, but finally the operation was closed as a simple transfer. Oriol will return to Barça in June 2025, waiting to decide where he will continue his career after 13 years in which he has spent time in England (Chelsea and Southampton) and Germany (Stuttugart) before returning to Spain in 2022.