Barcelona is leaving. Rivals in LaLiga are outraged after an offer was made to a former Premier League player.
Barcelona is overhauling their roster during the summer transfer season, but their deals have been criticized as manager Xavi desperately seeks recruits.
Girona, a newly promoted LaLiga side, has criticized Barcelona for approaching Oriol Romeu about a prospective trade.
Romeu progressed through Barcelona's youth system before joining Chelsea in the Premier League in 2011. He battled for opportunities at Stamford Bridge, but found success in the English Premier League with Southampton for seven years.
That spell ended last summer when the midfielder chose to join Girona, who were playing in the Segunda Division at the time. Romeu helped his new side win promotion back to LaLiga via the play-offs in his only season at the Estadi Montilivi.
His performances appear to have piqued the interest of Barcelona, who won the Spanish title last season. However, after ending their four-year championship drought, manager Xavi has overseen a roster change.
Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have left, as have Samuel Umtiti and Trincao. Ilkay Gundogan has joined on a free transfer from Manchester City, but Xavi is still looking to strengthen his defensive midfield options.
This has brought him to Romeu, but their interest in the 31-year-old has enraged Girona. The Blanquivermells sent a statement to SPORT in which they condemned Barcelona's attempted move.
"We know that Xavi has called our player, and Oriol Romeu is not free, he has a contract with Girona until 2025, so we would say that this cannot be done," Girona said in a statement on Saturday evening.
"It would be beneficial if communication could take place between clubs, especially given the positive relationship between the two sides."
Girona is said to be unwilling to transfer Romeu, despite the fact that he is keen in returning to Barcelona. As their financial predicament worsens, the Catalan titans are compelled to look for lower-cost alternatives to replace Busquets.
Because this is a key role, Xavi has become intimately involved in the search. However, Barcelona has not approached Girona, instead opting to approach the former Southampton player directly.
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