Barcelona transfer news: Oriol Romeu 'on verge' of returning to former club

The Catalan giants paid a reported €3.4m (£2.9m) to sign Romeu from Girona last summer, with the 32-year-old putting pen to paper on a three-year contract.

Romeu was recruited following the departure of veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets, who left Barcelona at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

However, Romeu was unable to establish himself in Xavi's side, ensuring he had to settle for 17 starts in 37 appearances in all competitions.

Although there has been a change in manager, Hansi Flick's arrival has seemingly had little effect on Romeu's standing in the Barcelona squad.

Barcelona's Romeu set for Girona return

With his playing time unlikely to improve, Romeu is now set to leave Barcelona to return to fellow Catalan side Girona after just one year away from Montilivi.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Girona have reached an agreement to re-sign the experienced midfielder on a loan deal.

The player has given the green light to the move and is set to undergo a medical this weekend ahead of his return to Michel's side.

Barcelona have confirmed that Romeu has left the club's training camp in the USA, releasing a video on social media of the player saying his goodbyes to Flick and club president Joan Laporta.

Why are Girona re-signing Romeu?

Girona are set to sign Romeu as a replacement for Alex Garcia, who completed a move to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer.

Romeu proved to be a key member of Michel's squad in his previous season at the club, starting all 33 of his La Liga appearances during the 2022-23 campaign.

The former Southampton man will also bring valuable experience to a club that are preparing to compete in their first Champions League campaign after finishing in third position last term.

Romeu will not sign in time for Saturday's friendly against Napoli, but he could be involved in at least one of the two games that will take place next weekend.

The Catalan side are set to face Newcastle United at St James' Park on August 9, before they travel down to the English South Coast for a meeting with Bournemouth on August 10.