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Southampton FC Close to Sealing Deal for Chelsea FC Midfielder Oriol Romeu

By Robert Molnar

Southampton Football Club badge on St. Mary's Stadium, home of Southampton FC. (Credit: Flickr Creative Commons)
Southampton Football Club badge on St. Mary's Stadium, home of Southampton FC. (Credit: Flickr Creative Commons) /
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In a shocking development, it now looks like Southampton FC are close to securing a deal for Chelsea FC midfielder Oriol Romeu. The deal would see the Spaniard join the South Coast club on a permanent deal.

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The 23-year old joined Chelsea FC back in 2011 when the club was managed by Andre Villa-Boas. During his time at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard appeared in 22 matches for the Blues while also being loaned out over the last two seasons.

The Daily Mail is reporting that a fee in the range of £4 million has been agreed upon by Southampton and Chelsea. The move also marks the second time in less than a year that a young Chelsea player has joined Southampton FC.

Last season, Chelsea originally loaned left back Ryan Bertrand to Ronald Koeman’s side last season before Southampton opted to make the deal a permanent one in the winter transfer window. Hopefully Oriol Romeu can also have a successful season with the Saints.

With Southampton FC competing in this season’s Europa League, the Saints will need add depth to the roster this summer. Even with the superb youth academy that Southampton are renowned for, Southampton have been searching for quality depth this summer.

While Oriol Romeu will likely not command a starting spot in the Southampton midfield right off the bat, the Spaniard does add depth to the Saints midfield. Should he continue to develop how many envision he would, this deal could represent a sort of a steal for Southampton FC.

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Also adding to many supporters belief in this move will be the transfer history of Ronald Koeman. Proving last season that he was a talent finder, Ronald Koeman has shown his ability to find quality in players that most other clubs would see as surplus.

In the running originally for Oriol Romeu was Leicester City. The Foxes wanted to bring the young player in on loan this season, however, Oriol Romeu shut down the rumors when he informed the club that he wanted a permanent deal.

With Southampton FC’s past record in developing young players, their is no better place for the young Spaniard to resurrect his Premier League career. Putting in a couple quality seasons with the Saints could see the interest in him from the Premier League’s top clubs again peak.

The move will also help Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho reduce his squad size to something more manageable. With Chelsea FC’s lack of rotation in the past, the move allows for Chelsea to retain all their quality while reducing the club’s payroll.

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