Girona midfielder Oriol Romeu could complete his return to boyhood club Barcelona by the end of the week, claims Xavi Lemus.
Barca intensified talks to bring the 31-year-old back to Spotify Camp Nou last week after earmarking him as a short-term replacement for club icon Sergio Busquets.
Busquets left the Blaugrana upon the expiry of his contract earlier in July to join former teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, leaving a gaping void in Xavi’s midfield.
With a lack of funds and an ongoing struggle to comply with Financial Fair Play rules, the reigning La Liga champions cannot pursue high-cost deals to replace Busquets.
Romeu has emerged as a cost-effective signing for Barcelona after reeling off a series of impressive showings for Girona last season, having previously spent seven years at Southampton.
Girona won’t mind letting their man return to his childhood club, but they want €8 million to green-light a transfer, while the Blaugrana won’t go beyond €5m.
However, negotiations are ongoing after Barca director of football Mateu Alemany opened official discussions last week.
The deep-lying midfielder graduated from the famous La Masia academy before leaving Barcelona for Chelsea in 2011 to secure regular first-team football.
At the time of his first-team emergence, Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were bossing Barca’s midfield, forcing Romeu to leave his homeland in his quest to gain a starting role elsewhere.
During his 11-year stint in the Premier League, Romeu grew into a trustworthy holding midfielder, as evidenced by his stellar first season in La Liga last year.
If he signs, he’ll become the club’s second midfield addition this summer after Ilkay Gundogan swapped Manchester City for Catalunya as a free agent.
Xavi doesn’t see the German veteran as Busquets’ replacement, as he aims to play the 32-year-old in a more advanced position – similar to the one he had at the Etihad Stadium.
Frenkie de Jong and Franck Kessie are both capable of covering the Spaniard’s role, but the latter seems closer to leaving Barcelona than extending his brief association with the club.
