Barcelona are close to completing the signing of Girona central midfielder Oriel Romeu.

The 31-year-old midfielder known for his tough tackling is a graduate of Barcelona’s world-famous La Masia youth academy but is not the first player you think of when imagining the club’s tika-taka style of play.

Oriel Romeu set for Barca switch

The former Chelsea and Southampton defensive midfielder has, however, enjoyed a terrific season at Barca’s Catalan rivals Girona and is likely to provide cover for fellow central midfielders Pedri, Gavi, Franck Kessie, Frenkie De Jong, and new summer signing Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City with manager Xavi Hernandez still on the lookout for a further two midfielders.

According to the Spanish newspaper SPORT, Romeu’s signing will be completed in a number of hours after the two clubs agreed a fee of $8.8m for the 31-year-old with Romeu already agreeing on personal terms with the La Liga champions.

Romeu brings a great deal of experience to Nou Camp and won the Champions League in his first season at Chelsea in 2012.