FC Barcelona were supposed to depart on their pre-season tour today, but the Japan tour has been cancelled. It remains to be seen if the South Korean tour goes ahead as scheduled. If not, the club needs to make emergency plans to revamp the pre-season.
The team needs to start playing matches to get back into rhythm. Other teams around Europe have already played their first pre-season friendlies, except for the ones that participated in the Club World Cup, and Hansi Flick will be keen to have a solution very soon.
One player who was not expected to be a part of the pre-season tour was Oriol Romeu. The forgotten Barcelona midfielder is not a part of Hansi Flick’s plans and was expected to stay back in Spain had the team departed for Japan today.
Oriol Romeu needs to sort out his future
Now, as per SPORT, the ex-Girona midfielder was expected to stay back to resolve his future with the club. There is interest in the midfielder in La Liga, with Valencia and even his former club mentioned as possible destinations.
The report mentions that the two parties negotiating a contract termination is also a realistic possibility. With a contract that expires next summer, there is almost no chance for Barcelona to secure any sort of transfer fee from moving on the veteran.
Last season, Romeu spent his time at Girona on loan, where he played 31 matches, but it was far from an important season, as injuries prevented him from playing an important part in Michel’s plans in the 2024/25 season.
An emergency signing that flopped
Barcelona signed the ex-La Masia graduate as an emergency signing to cope up with the exit of Sergio Busquets, who had defined that position single-handedly for the better part of 15 years. However, it’s safe to say that the move didn’t work out.
It remains to be seen what lies ahead for Romeu and if he manages to secure a contract termination with the club. The midfielder can still continue to be important for some clubs, provided he manages to keep his fitness. Let’s wait and see how it plays out.
