Girona chief refuses to rule out return for Barcelona's Oriol Romeu

Girona sporting director Quique Carcel is hopeful that his club will be able to re-sign Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu from Barcelona at some stage.

The 32-year-old returned to Barcelona over the summer, penning a three-year contract with the club that he initially represented between 2004 and 2011 before moving to Chelsea.

A strong season at Girona in 2022-23 led to Xavi's side bringing him back to the club, and he has made 15 appearances for the La Liga champions this term, providing one assist in the process.

There is already speculation surrounding his future at the club, though, with Barcelona believed to be keen to add a high-profile midfielder to their squad next summer.

Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich is said to be their leading target, while Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi is also being heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou.

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Carcel has said that he "100%" wants Romeu to return to Girona and is hopeful that an agreement can be reached for that to become possible.

"Personally, I want that 100%. Romeu gave us magical things. A lot of players told me that he taught them how to compete," he told SPORT when questioned on a possible move back to the club.

"It's not easy because he has a contract with Barcelona, ​​but I don't see it as unlikely."

Romeu has benefitted from midfield absences to feature on a regular basis for Barcelona this season, playing 11 times in Spain's top flight, while he has also operated in all four of their Champions League group games.

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The Spaniard struggled to make his mark at Chelsea between 2011 and 2015, spending time on loan with Valencia and Stuttgart, before joining Southampton on a permanent deal.

The midfielder made 256 appearances for the Saints during a highly-successful spell before returning to Spain with Girona, making 34 appearances for them in 2022-23.

Girona have been the surprise package in La Liga this season, boasting a record of 10 wins, one draw and one defeat from their 12 league games, which has left them at the top of the table on 31 points.

Michel's side are the leading goalscorers in Spain's top flight this season with 29, and they will be aiming to make it six wins in a row in all competitions in Saturday's clash with Rayo Vallecano.

Barcelona, meanwhile, will be bidding to return to winning ways after their Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk when they host Alaves on Sunday.