One of the players who has benefited the most from the last managerial change at Barcelona is the midfielder Oriol Romeu. After arriving from Girona last summer, Romeu had only a minimal role in the Catalan team under Xavi, and it was looking highly likely that he would leave the club this summer.
However, only after a few training sessions, the highly experienced midfielder has already got the nod of the new coach, Hansi Flick, to continue at the club for the next season. The German tactician is impressed by Romeu’s positional understanding, power, and experience, and seems to like him more than the youth options.
Barcelona are prioritizing the signing of Nico Williams and Dani Olmo ahead of the signing of a midfield pivot this summer. Flick considers the pivot position to be essential to provide stability to the team.
Oriol Romeu is his only natural option for this position, with some youth options like Marc Bernal and Marc Casado, while other midfielders like Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan can also play in this position.
Thus, having obtained the coach’s confidence, Romeu will leave Barcelona only if a compelling offer comes in. According to Mundo Deportivo, such an offer has actually come for Romeu from Italy, however the midfielder has already ruled it out.
This offer came from the Serie A club Napoli, but the midfielder has rejected it because the Naples club will not participate in the upcoming edition of the UEFA Champions League. The 32-year-old wants to continue playing in Europe and this factor came in to be a determining factor as he decides on his future course.
While Romeu can be important for Barcelona next season, his rejection of Napoli makes it even more difficult for the Catalans to get a sale from the midfield, as Gavi, De Jong, and Pedri are all injured, while Fermin Lopez is away for the Olympic Games.
