Barcelona veteran ‘accepts’ exit decision as £3m

Barcelona are prepared to let experienced midfielder Oriol Romeu leave the club on a free transfer this summer, according to a report.

The 33-year-old has returned to Camp Nou after spending the 2024-25 season on loan at former club Girona, making 31 appearances for the former Champions League competitors in all tournaments.

Romeu still has one year left on his contract with Hansi Flick’s side, but he is seemingly surplus to requirements in Catalonia, where the Blaugrana have up-and-coming midfielders in his place.

Marc Bernal and Marc Casado have both emerged from the Masia ranks, while Frenkie de Jong is expected to sign a new long-term deal in due course.

As a result, Romeu’s exit for a nominal fee has appeared inevitable, and one of Barcelona’s fellow La Liga giants have reportedly expressed an interest in a deal during the current window.

Barcelona to ‘negotiate’ Romeu free transfer?

However, rather than hold out for a small fee for his services, Mundo Deportivo reports that the Blaugrana could instead let him depart on a free transfer in the coming weeks.

Romeu is due to receive another £3m in wages for the final year of his Camp Nou deal, though, so the report adds that Barcelona will have to ‘negotiate’ his departure by way of contract termination.

The former Southampton man has apparently accepted that his future lies away from the Spanish champions, though, so there are unlikely to be any roadblocks when it comes to ripping up his deal.

Romeu spent seven years in the Barca academy system from 2004 to 2011, ultimately returning 12 years later for just under £3m after spells at Valencia, Stuttgart, Chelsea, Southampton and Girona.

The 33-year-old has registered one assist in 39 appearances for Barcelona across all competitions, playing 37 of those matches under Xavi in the 2023-24 season.

Who else could leave Barcelona in the summer window?

Even though Bernal has spent almost a year out with an ACL injury, the youngster is now closing in on a comeback, so Romeu would only be on the periphery at Barcelona should he stick around.

The Spaniard could be followed out of the door by the likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen and Fermin Lopez, while De Jong’s future is also one to watch while his contract situation remains unresolved.

Barcelona have already waved goodbye to Ansu Fati, Pau Victor, Pablo Torre, Alex Valle and Clement Lenglet this summer, the former joining Monaco on loan and the latter four leaving permanently.

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