Barcelona midfielder has been dealing with knee injury this season – report

When Barcelona lost Sergio Busquets last summer, they scoured the market far and wide in search of a top replacement for the club legend. Ultimately, though, they had to settle with re-signing former La Masia graduate Oriol Romeu from Girona.

The 32-year-old Spaniard started well in his second stint with Barcelona and put in a series of solid displays during pre-season and the early parts of the campaign.

However, with time, Romeu’s form began to decline and he made several errors in matches that hurt the Catalans.

In the past few months, the former Chelsea and Southampton man has become almost an afterthought in Xavi’s plans, with the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Ilkay Gundogan, and even Andreas Christensen seemingly preferred over him in the No. 6 position.

Romeu dealing with knee injury

Now, though, a fresh update from Tot Costa has claimed that Romeu has been nursing a knee injury during the ongoing campaign, which has been cited as a reason for his lack of continuity and inconsistency.

It must be noted that Romeu has not missed a single game this season due to physical issues, barring last weekend’s La Liga encounter against Granada due to some muscular discomfort.

Even then, the midfielder’s absence is not a prolonged one and he is expected to be back this weekend against Celta Vigo.

However, it is being suggested that despite his continued presence in the matchday squads, Romeu has been dealing with a knee issue that has hampered his continuity and form.

Knee issue or not, Romeu’s stock has declined at Barça. The midfielder was heavily linked with an exit in January and could have ended up at Besiktas if not for some problems.

While an exit might not have materialised last month, Romeu could be on his way out come summer, especially with Barcelona looking to sign a new pivot.