Barcelona are reportedly lining up a move for Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu that could see the former La Masia graduate return to Camp Nou.
The Sun have reported that Barcelona are considering a shock summer move for Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu, who is a product of the Blaugrana’s famed La Masia academy.
Romeu progressed through the ranks at La Masia before making the grade in the Barcelona B side in 2008. The Spaniard was finally given his first break in the first team setup in 2010, when he played Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup, but that remained his only start at the Catalan club.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements by Pep Guardiola in 2011, Romeu moved to Chelsea in a €5 million deal. However, he could not manage to carve out a regular place for himself with the Blues either, and after 33 appearances for the West London side and two loan spells with Valencia and Vfb Stuttgart, Romeu was sold to Southampton in 2015.
The move to the St. Mary’s Stadium has finally seen Romeu starting to deliver on the promise that he showed in Barcelona’s youth setup. 2016/17 has been the breakthrough campaign for Romeu as he has been an ever present in the Southampton midfield, missing just one Premier League game all season.
The 25-year-old has been an integral part of Claude Puel’s plans, sitting in front of the back four where his combative style of play has helped him provide protection for defence. Suffice to say, his no-nonsense attitude has been an asset for Southampton, and it seems to have caught the eye of one of his former clubs.
That club is Barcelona who, according to the report, are considering bringing Romeu back to Camp Nou in the summer. The Spaniard is being targetted as a long-term replacement for veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Romeu’s compatriot, Busquets has experienced a slight dip in form this season but is still considered a prized asset in Barcelona’s first team setup. However, Romeu’s addition could see the 25-year-old provide some much needed competition in a position where Barcelona managers over the years have struggled to find cover for Busquets.
Romeu only recently put pen to paper on a new four-and-a-half year deal with Southampton, and the Premier League club have made it clear that they would not sell any of their top players in the summer.
However, the player himself has previously stated that he would be open to a return to Barcelona if the Catalan club came calling for his signature. It now remains to be seen if the La Liga heavyweights go on to make a concrete offer to bring Romeu back to Camp Nou in the summer.
