Romeu joins Valencia on loan

Chelsea have confirmed that midfielder Oriol Romeu will spend the 2013-14 campaign on loan with Valencia.

The Spaniard was sidelined for large parts of last season having picked up a knee injury during a clash with Sunderland on December 11.

And he has now agreed to move to La Liga on a temporary deal as he looks to prove his fitness following a lengthy lay-off.

Romeu moved to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona’s youth academy in July 2011 and made 24 appearances in total in his debut season in the Premier League.

He struggled to nail down a first-team berth in his second campaign at Chelsea, however, making just four starts prior to suffering his season-ending injury.

Romeu has been capped at every youth level for Spain up to Under-23, but has yet to make his debut for the senior side.

The 21-year-old joins a Valencia side who finished fifth in the Spanish top flight last term, narrowly missing out on qualification for the UEFA Champions League.