Barcelona had discussed the signing of new arrival back in 2022, but discarded the idea

Barcelona’s interest in Oriol Romeu may have emerged in the last few weeks, but according to Mundo Deportivo, the name of the former Southampton and Chelsea midfielder was actually discussed at the club in a technical meeting in late 2022.

Journalist Gabriel Sans states that at that time, his option was discarded due to his age and this summer, they decided to renew the interest mostly because other targets such as Joshua Kimmich and Martin Zubimendi were ruled out due to economic reasons.

Romeu was signed from Girona on a three-year contract for a fee worth €4.5 million plus variables with Pablo Torre moving to the Montilivi on a season-long loan deal. He has a release clause worth €400 million embedded in his contract.

At the club level, they consider the signing of Romeu as a replacement for Sergio Busquets, who decided to call time on his Barcelona career.

Even back in 2022, the idea was similar but it was not explored mostly because the focus was on other players, young guns in particular who were Xavi’s preference.

For what it is worth, Romeu’s former coach Michel has always compared the midfielder with Busquets. Back when Barcelona took on Girona last season, Michel said, “He has given an exhibition like Busquets. We are lucky to have him. He is a signing for Girona to continue growing as a team.”

At the time of his signing this summer, while the board did consider his age, they also took into consideration that he has accumulated enough experience to be in Xavi’s team. Add to this, his history of playing for Barcelona early on in his career was crucial as well.

At present, while it remains to be seen how he performs under Xavi, the fact that he has been roped in as Busquets’ replacement is nothing but a sheer compliment.