LONDON — Chelsea have signed midfielder Oriol Romeu on a four-year contract from Barcelona for £4,35m.
The fee was agreed 11 days ago and the deal includes a buy-back clause of €10m after one year and €15m after two for the Spanish champions. Romeu will arrive at Stamford Bridge once he has finished playing for Spain at the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.
The 19-year-old has played in both of their games so far, a 4-1 victory over Costa Rica and 2-0 win over Ecuador.
The 19-year-old made two first-team appearances for Barça last season, making his first-team debut at the end of last season, but he was not part of boss Pep Guardiola’s long-term plans at the Nou Camp.
Romeu, who spent most of the campaign playing for their B team in the Spanish second division, said earlier this week: “Chelsea is a great option for me.
“Leaving Barça hurts, but you have to take your chances.”
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The signing is a boost for new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas who will be without Michael Essien for six months.
The Ghana international (28) ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus during pre-season training. —BBC Sport