Barcelona set to terminate contract of veteran star, player's exit will help club register key defender: Reports

Barcelona are reportedly set to terminate the contract of midfielder Oriol Romeu. The 33-year-old has one year left on his deal and is not a part of Hansi Flick's plans.

According to a report in the AS, Flick wants to get Gerard Martin registered with the first team and is pushing the club to make it happen soon. The 23-year-old is seen as a key player and the ideal backup for Alejandro Balde this season.

The Catalan side cannot register the defender with the reserve team as he turned 23 earlier this year. The termination of Romeu's contract will help them get some gap in the wage bill, but there will be more work to be done before the full squad is registered.

Romeu joined the Catalan side in 2023 after a short stint at Girona. He played 39 games, none of them under Flick, before getting loaned back to Girona, where he spent the 2024/25 season.

Barcelona are also working on the departure of Hector Fort and Inaki Pena this summer. The goalkeeper is yet to agree a new deal, and needs to sign the extension before leaving on loan for the season.

The two exits would see Flick get Wojciech Szczesny and new signing Roony Bardghji. However, the talks over exits are not at an advanced stage, while Premier League clubs are keen on signing Marc Casado this summer.

Joan Laporta confident about Barcelona's financial situation

Joan Laporta spoke to Mundo Deportivo earlier this summer and admitted that Barcelona need to reduce the wage bill to be in line with LaLiga's 1:1 rule. He was confident that the club would be able to do it smoothly before the deadline and said:

“We need to reduce the wage bill, and there are other aspects the club must still finalise. Everything is in motion and moving in the right direction, which will allow us to register the players. We are working hard to interpret LaLiga’s financial rules correctly. In the past, this period was stressful because of signings and sales. Now the stress is about registering players.”

“I am convinced this will work. I cannot imagine it being any other way. That operation brings in €100 million – we have already collected €58 million, which is what LaLiga required to activate the 1:1 rule. Now, due to media pressure, the auditors are demanding more effort. This comes from external pressures that have made auditors feel they need to be stricter. To me, that is highly debatable – but I respect and accept it.”

Barcelona have registered Joan Garcia and Marcus Rashford, and the two made their debuts in the league during the 3-0 win over Mallorca.