Barcelona willing to include Oriol Romeu or 2 other players as part of deal to sign 26-year-old La Liga midfielder: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly looking to include Oriol Romeu or two other players as they look to sign Girona midfielder Aleix Garcia.
Garcia, 26, has three goals and four assists in 22 games - starting all of them - in La Liga, where Girona are only behind leaders Real Madrid (58) after 23 games. Impressively, Michel Sanchez's side have won all six games where Garcia has had a goal contribution, including the 5-2 home win over Almeria, where the player scored twice.
Despite contracted with the La Liga side till 2026, Barca Universal (via Mundo Deportivo) reports that he has a reported release clause of €15 million. However, with the Blaugrana's well-documented financial woes, they are looking to offer a player in exchange to bring down Garcia's asking price.
Romeu, who spent the 2022-23 season with Girona and appears to have no future at the Camp Nou, could be the one to leave. Eric Garcia and Pablo Torre, both on loan with Sanchez's side, are the other options.
While the reigning La Liga champions failed to land Sanchez in the recently concluded January transfer window, they are expected to make a more concerted push for his services in the summer.
What's next for Barcelona?
Barcelona have had an inconsistent season after a bright start. Xavi's side have stuttered in their La Liga title defence, finding themselves eight points behind leaders Real Madrid after 23 games.
They fared no better in the Copa del Rey, losing 4-2 at Athletic Bilbao in the quarterfinal. That came following a humbling 4-1 reverse to Los Blancos in the Supercopa Espana final in Riyadh last month.
Having won their last two league games, Xavi's side next take on Granada at home on Sunday (February 11). They visit Celta Vigo in La Liga six days later before hosting Napoli in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg on February 22.
It's pertinent to note that manager Xavi has already announced that he's leaving at the end of the season, following a spate of indifferent results.