Oriol Romeu set to terminate his Barcelona contract

Midfielder Oriol Romeu and Barcelona have reached an agreement to terminate the Catalan player's contract, which was due to expire on 30th June 2026, sources familiar with the negotiations confirmed to 'EFE' on Thursday.

With this move, Barca are hoping that full-back Gerard Martin can be registered in La Liga in time for this Sunday's match away to Rayo Vallecano.

Romeu, who spent last season on loan at Girona, was not in coach Hansi Flick's plans and had not been training with his team-mates in recent days, waiting to resolve his future.

The midfielder also did not travel on the first team's tour of Japan and South Korea a few weeks ago.

Fading form leads to Girona return

The Ulldecona-born player, who came through the ranks at Barcelona, thus brings an end to his second spell as a 'Blaugrana', having returned to the club in the summer of 2023 from Girona, where he had shone the season before (2022-23).

Under Xavi Hernandez in the 2023-24 season, the player's performance declined. His lack of prominence and the arrival of Flick, who was not counting on him, forced him to look for an exit in the form of a loan to his former club.

In his second spell at Girona, Romeu played below the level he showed in the 2022-23 season at Montilivi, which earned him a return to his former club.

Throughout his career, the Catalan midfielder has also spent two seasons at Chelsea, one at Valencia, one at Stuttgart and seven more at English side Southampton.