FC Barcelona is currently in the middle of sports planning under Hansi Flick's leadership. The German coach has already sent several clear messages to the board about which footballers are in his plans and which ones should look for an exit. One of the names singled out, without mincing words, has been Oriol Romeu.
The Catalan midfielder isn't part of Flick's playing style, even though he still has a contract with FC Barcelona, he was loaned to Girona last season. However, his performance has been far below the desired level. He hasn't managed to convince anyone at Montilivi either, which is why the new blaugrana coach has requested that he be given a definitive exit as soon as possible.
Laporta is already aware of this situation, and he knows that keeping Romeu in the squad isn't a viable option either from a sporting or financial perspective. The player has no place, and his continuity would be yet another obstacle to adjusting the wage cap, one of the club's major problems in recent years.
Desired exits
The coaching staff believe that the defensive midfielder doesn't offer the necessary guarantees to compete at the highest level. If he already had many difficulties with Xavi, with Flick he simply isn't counted on. Romeu has been outmatched by the team's competitive level, and even more so by the intense competition in his position.
Currently, Barça has names like Andreas Christensen, who has performed as a pivot, or Íñigo Martínez, who is capable of moving forward in his position. In addition, the club is waiting for the emergence of young talents like Marc Casadó. In this scenario, Romeu's presence in the squad makes no sporting sense at all.
Laporta gives him the green light
In Girona, they're not interested in keeping him either, even though Míchel knows him well, the coach hasn't requested his continuity, and Romeu wasn't a protagonist in the great campaign of the red-and-white team. His profile doesn't fit the dynamic soccer that Girona is looking for. Therefore, his return to Camp Nou is destined to be anecdotal.
The midfielder's exit is now a priority, Joan Laporta has received the messageand wants to solve his situation as soon as possible. The player has a market in LaLiga, but the interested clubs are only considering a loan or a favorable contract termination. Meanwhile, Barça doesn't expect to gain any financial benefit from his transfer.
At this time, they're even considering the option of giving him a letter of freedom to free up wage mass, Flick has been blunt: he doesn't want Romeu to join the preseason. The sooner his departure is solved, the better for all parties. Romeu has been a failed stopgap and his time at Barça is over; now, the club is working to find him a destination.