Confirmed, Deco sets a condition to let Oriol Romeu leave: 'If not...'

As strange as it may seem, Oriol Romeu still belongs to Barça. The fact that he didn't travel with the rest of the team on the Asian tour has caused confusion. However, the reality is clear: Flick doesn't count on him and he has stayed in Barcelona trying to solve his future.

Oriol Romeu's time at Barça has turned out the opposite of what was desired. He arrived to fill the void left by Sergio Busquets, but he soon showed that he didn't have a high enough level to play at Camp Nou. His constant mistakes ended up making him disappear from Xavi Hernández's plans, the coach who requested his signing.

Oriol Romeu doesn't count for Flick: he needs to leave

Last season, after Hansi Flick arrived on the bench, Oriol Romeu went on loan to Girona. Now he's back in Barcelona with one year left on his contract, but with no chance of convincing Flick. He must find a new team to keep playing or he risks spending a whole season sitting in the stands without playing.

In addition, the board needs to free up salary cap space to register new signings. Oriol Romeu's departure is seen as necessary. However, Deco is the one who holds the key to his exit  and sets his own rules. Thus, the Portuguese is willing to terminate his contract, but with a mandatory requirement.

Deco's warning to Oriol Romeu

Deco has made it clear that he will terminate Oriol Romeu's contract if he forgives the year of salary he is still owed. Without that prior step, his departure won't happen. FC Barcelona's sporting director knows that there are few teams willing to pay a transfer fee and that he will have to leave for free, so at least he will try to recover his salary.

Barça is considering granting the player a letter of freedom, but they need guarantees. Oriol Romeu has attracted interest from teams like Oviedo or Girona. Deco, meanwhile, is personally overseeing negotiations to finalize his departure as soon as possible.

Barça's locker room is overcrowded

Flick doesn't count on Oriol Romeu. The position is covered by De Jong, Pedri, Casadó, Gavi, and Bernal, so there's no room for the Catalan. His departure is simply a matter of days and of resolving certain details such as the salary he is still owed.

Deco wants to prevent Oriol Romeu from being part of the squad when the season starts. It would be counterproductive for the club both in sporting and financial terms.