Report: Southampton on verge of signing Oriol Romeu from Chelsea
Remember Oriol Romeu? Southampton apparently does.
The Saints are reportedly on the verge of signing the 23-year-old Spanish midfielder, rescuing him from Chelsea - where his future prospects were somewhere between club cheerleader and bench warmer.
Sky Sources: Chelsea's Oriol Romeu to have medical at Southampton today #SSNHQ
— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) August 12, 2015
As noted by The Independent, Romeu's career has stagnated since a promising start in the Barcelona system.
Romeu began his career at Barcelona but was signed by Chelsea for £5 million as a promising 19-year-old in 2011. He quickly broke into the first team under then-head coach Andre Villas Boas but suffered a knee ligament injury which ruled him out for eight months. Romeu has spent the last two seasons on loan, 2013-14 at Valencia, 2014-15 at Stuttgart.
A move to Southampton would see Romeu provide manager Ronald Koeman with another defensive midfield option, an area that still needs strengthening after the sale of Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United - and the preseason injury suffered by his immediate replacement, Jordy Clasie.