Oriol Romeu may leave Chelsea in 2013 to return to Barcelona, claims agent

Dec 29, 2011 12:40:00 PM

The defensive midfielder has impressed since his move to Stamford Bridge in the summer but, according to his representative, the 20-year-old hopes to go home before long

The agent of Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu has declared that his client will not return to Barcelona in the summer, but suggested that a homecoming could be on the cards in 2013.

The 20-year-old joined the Blues in the summer in a deal that was reported to give Barca a buy-back clause of €10 million (£8.3m) in 2012 or €15m (£12.5m) in 2013, although manager Andre Villas-Boas insisted earlier this month that the Spanish champions only have first refusal if the Stamford Bridge side are willing to sell.

But Romeu’s agent, Javier Magico Diaz, said to Marca: “Will Romeu return? His dream before leaving was to be a Barcelona player and that still stands, but we cannot ignore the opportunity Chelsea have provided.

“Oriol has made a name for himself in the Premier League and is playing regularly. We're committed to the club and we cannot leave them hanging."

Of a transfer back to Camp Nou, he added: “We'll have to see if it's appropriate for the club and the player.

“We need to know if he'll keep developing at Chelsea and playing.

“Maybe it will be more convenient to stay for another year and then return in 2013.”

The Ulldecona-born defensive midfielder has forced his way into the first team at Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, making 15 apperances in all competitions so far this season.

Starting last month and continuing every Friday through January, Goal.com will publish extracts from Graham Hunter's highly-anticipated book, 'Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World'. Ahead of the friendly match between the Catalan national team, coached by Johan Cruyff, and Tunisia on Dec 30, on Friday we take a look at the most influential figure in Barcelona's history. Don't miss it!

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