Barcelona are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of Oriol Romeu. The Girona star is seen as the club’s best bet to economically fill the defensive midfield position for the upcoming campaign, especially given his La Masia roots.
The player has a release clause worth €8 million in his contract with Girona, but Barcelona are in the process of negotiating a lower fee.
The Chairman of Girona’s board of directors, Pere Guardiola, spoke to SPORT earlier this week and talked about the club’s plans with Romeu. He insisted that the midfielder was vital to their on-field presence and requested for Barcelona to drop his pursuit.
“If Barça want to do us a favour, don’t sign Oriol Romeu. It’s a reality. We are planning the season with him in the side, so they don’t do us any favours.”
He then provided an accurate update about the situation of the defensive midfielder and added that he has been in regular contact with Mateu Alemany regarding the same.
“We talked to Mateu 17-18 days ago to find out what the situation was and two days ago we agreed to see each other soon.”
Speaking about Romeu and his qualities, Guardiola emphasised how important the player was to Girona’s success with a clear statement of the club’s position.
“We have said from the first day that we are planning the season with him inside, he is very important for us. Our position is clear, there is no issue at the moment.”
Finally, the club administrator was quizzed about Barcelona’s open interest in signing the midfield star and whether it created a tense situation at the club. Guardiola handled the question with grace and gave a diplomatic response saying,
“No, everyone does what they think they have to do. We have worked on our market, our day-to-day. Our budget is what it is, we are the most humble club. It’s their problem, it’s their way of doing it.”