New Chelsea signing Oriol Romeu sad to leave Barcelona

Chelsea-bound Barcelona youngster Oriol Romeu has said it will "hurt" to leave the Camp Nou.

The Blues agreed a fee - rumoured to be around £10m - for the Spanish youth international 10 days ago.

Romeu, 20, told Spanish newspaper AS: "Chelsea is a great option for me. Leaving Barca hurts, but you have to take your chances."

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas described defensive midfielder Romeu as "one of the most promising young players in that position".

Romeu made his senior debut for Barca last season but struggled to maintain a regular place in Pep Guardiola's team.

It is likely that he will get more minutes at Chelsea as Michael Essien has been ruled out for the first half of the season with a knee injury.