Oriol Romeu, the only Barça player on loan who returns to the squad

Published New:1/07/2025 - 20:49h

Updated New:6/07/2025 - 05:13h

Oriol Romeu has returned to be part of the Barça squad. The midfielder returned on loan from Girona and his future is uncertain. The only certainty is that Hansi Flick is not counting on him

The only one of the FC Barcelona players on loan in 24/25 who has not yet resolved his definitive farewell to the club has formally returned to the Azulgrana squad this July 1. This is Oriol Romeu, who returns after a year on loan at Girona where he failed to recover his best physical and footballing version.

Unlike Clément Lenglet (Altético) and Álex Valle (Como), the player from Ulldecona has not resolved which will be his next team for the 25/26 season. Hansi Flick is not counting on the Catalan midfielder, as the squad has enough players for the defensive pivot position.

For the moment, Frenkie de Jong is the team's starting pivot, waiting to resolve his renewal in the coming weeks. Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal are the first alternatives to the Dutchman, while Eric García can also be an alternative '5' in specific situations, as long as he also renews this month.

Barça's plan to speed up Oriol Romeu's departure

Oriol has a contract with Barça until June 2026 and his termination clause is 400 million euros. Although his salary is low (around 3.5 'kilos' gross per year), the midfielder has no place in the squad and, if no concrete offers arrive, the club does not rule out giving him a letter of freedom to speed up his departure.

In principle, Girona seems to be the most feasible destination for the player from Ulldecona, although the 'albirrojos' do not seem willing to pay again for his signing. In the 24/25 season, the Catalans took over his salary after a simple loan, but Romeu was far from the level he showed in the 22/23 season.

In total, the 33-year-old player played 31 games (22 as a starter) in which he received 7 cautions, without contributions in attack. Some muscular problems undermined his performance in the first half of the season and, in 2025, he was only a starter in 3 of the last 12 league games, although Girona was in free fall and almost lost the category.

Oriol Romeu's records as a Barça player

The midfielder left La Masia in 2011 to sign for Chelsea. A couple of years later, he returned to Spain with Valencia and, later, he also spent a year on loan at Stuttgart. After four years at the 'blue' club, he was finally transferred to Southampton in 2015. He stayed there for seven years, until he returned to Catalonia with Girona.

Xavi Hernández incorporated him into the Azulgrana squad as a 'patch' to cover the loss of Sergio Busquets. The coach from Egara wanted Martín Zubimendi, but Barça did not want to pay the 60 'kilos' of his clause to Real Sociedad.

In his only season, Oriol Romeu played a total of 1,435 minutes spread over 39 matches (17 as a starter) in which he provided one assist. With the Culé subsidiary, he accumulated 49 appearances (3,815 minutes) in which he scored one goal. The player from Ulldecona will turn 34 in September, will he be able to continue playing in LaLiga with Girona?