Spanish Midfielder Romeu Makes Triumphant Return to Barcelona with a Three-Year Contract

 

Barcelona has officially re-signed former academy player Oriol Romeu from Girona, with the midfielder agreeing to a three-year contract, as announced by the LaLiga champions on Wednesday.

Romeu originally came up through Barca's youth academy and made his debut for the senior team back in 2010. He later moved to Chelsea in 2011, but now, at the age of 31, he returns to his former club. During his time away, he also had loan stints at Valencia and Stuttgart before spending a significant seven-year period at Southampton.

During his one-year stay at Girona, Romeu played an instrumental role, accumulating over 3,000 minutes of game time, which helped lead the team to a 10th-place finish. Now, he is making his way back to Barcelona, while the 20-year-old midfielder Pablo Torre will be heading the opposite direction on loan.

In their statement, Barcelona emphasized Romeu's extensive experience and his familiarity with the club's style of play, which aligns with the vision of Xavi Hernandez, the team's manager. The club is confident that Romeu's previous performances in LaLiga will enable him to make an immediate impact on the field.

To secure his services, Barcelona has included a massive buyout clause of 400 million euros ($449.12 million) in Romeu's contract.

Romeu becomes Barcelona's fourth signing of the summer transfer window, following the acquisitions of Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez, with Vitor Roque set to join the club next year.