“We are discussing the transfer, we have multiple contacts in Europe and the Arab area” » With which clubs is CFR Cluj negotiating in Portugal and Cyprus!
Article by Justin Gafiuc – Published Tuesday, 06 January 2026 22:36 / Updated Tuesday, 06 January 2026 22:49 , Photo: IMAGO
Matei Ilie seems to have a short life left in the shirt of CFR Cluj, which gropes different tracks to sell the 23-year-old stopper. The player's agent, the Italian Elio Pino Letteiro, describes for GSP the current situation of the footballer originally from Piatra Neamț and offers some hints towards Matei's potential future destination. The newspaper also found out the names of the clubs that insist the most for CFR's defender
CFR Cluj got the taste of transfers in this mercato and, after selling Louis Munteanu in MLS, to DC United, they are preparing the next move behind the scenes: Matei Ilie. The 23-year-old stopper is already on the radar of many formations, and the Transylvanians are looking to find the best option to sell the former U21 international, a key man in the defense of the “brakers”.
The player's agent, Elio Pino Letteiro, agreed to speak to GSP about the current state of negotiations. The Italian agent owns the “Eleven Elite” company, and the crown jewel is the Argentinian Mauro Icardi, the current star of Galatasaray.
He has been working with Matei Ilie since the period when the Romanian was evolving in the Peninsula, at the Academy of Padua. And he is also the one who brokered the transfer of Răzvan Sava from CFR to Udinese in the summer of 2024 for 2.5 million euros.
Varga would like 2 million euros, the clubs are around 1-1.2 million
Elio Pino Letteiro is Mauro Icardi's agent, whom he took to Galata from PSG in 2023: transfer of 10 million euros, net salary of 6 million euros for the South American star
“We are in permanent contact with CFR Cluj, with the sports director there, and we are trying to find an optimal solution for Ilie and for the club. There are many formations interested in Matei at the moment, we are working together for a potential transfer”, Elio Pino pointed out.
And he elaborated: “I can't give you the names of the teams, but I don't hide that, at the moment, we have contacts in Portugal, Russia, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia. It's about a real interest in Ilia, but we haven't reached the last step with anyone at the moment, that is, a concrete offer. However, things are quite advanced on certain tracks.”
Nelu Varga, the owner of CFR Cluj, gropes the ground for a new business in the case of Ilie Matei Photo: GSP.RO
GSP sources show that, for now, no club would have shown itself willing to invest more than 1-1.2 million euros in the move, given that the claims of the boss from CFR, Nelutu Varga, are approaching two million euros. However, as the differences are not irreconcilable, the coming weeks could lead to an agreement for the sale of Matei, depending on the progress of the negotiations.
He would be the second Romanian at Famalicao, after Alex Dobre: the club is controlled by an Israeli billionaire
The same sources indicate that two of the clubs that insist on Ilie Matei are Famalicao and Pafos, Vlad Dragomir's team.
Famalicao are currently in 8th place after 17 matches in the Portuguese league and are aiming for a maiden European cup qualification this season, hoping to secure one of the positions in the upcoming edition of the Conference League. The club is owned by the investment fund Quantum Pacific Group, controlled by the Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, who also has 25% of the shares in Atletico Madrid.
Alexandru Dobre was the first Romanian in Famalicao's locker room Photo: Imago
At Famalicao, Alexandru Dobre also played in the 2023-2024 period, brought by Rapid from Portugal at zero parameter, with the status of a free player. He collected 31 matches and two goals in Famalicao's shirt.
In parallel with Ilie Matei, the Lusitanian group is also groping the option of another young central defender, the Egyptian Ahmed Abdin (Al Ahly), a starter in the country's national team at the U20 World Cup last year, where the Africans finished in 3rd place in a group with Japan (0-2), New Zealand (1-2) and Chile (2-1, a goal scored by Abdin).
Colleague with Vlad Dragomir in Pafos? The Cypriots have just changed their coach
Vlad Dragomir (right) is an important name in Pafos, where he also became team captain PHOTO: Imago Images
And reigning Aphrodite Island champions Paphos are second in the Cypriot league, two points behind leaders Omonia, but with a game in hand.
It is the team that produced the big surprise in the current edition of the Champions League, where it reached the mammoth group stage, passing Maccabi Tel Aviv, Dinamo Kiev and Red Star Belgrade (play-off) in the qualifications.
They have a chance to go even into the knockout rounds, being in position 26 after 6 legs, with one win (1-0 Villareal), 3 draws (0-0 Olympiakos, 0-0 Kairat, 2-2 Monaco) and 2 defeats (1-5 Bayern, 0-2 Juventus). They still have Chelsea (away) and Slavia Prague (home) to play, and the calculations for the 24th qualifying place give them opportunities to continue their adventure.
In Paphos, the average salary is around 200,000 euros per year, and the indisputable star is the Brazilian veteran David Luiz (38 years old), ex-Benfica, Chelsea, PSG and Arsenal. And the potential transfer of Ilie Matei would also revolve around the new technical staff, to be appointed, after Carlos Carcedo chose to take over Spartak Moscow.
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25 matches Ilie Matei played this season for CFR Cluj, in all competitions, scoring 3 goals and 5 assists
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1.7 million euros it's Ilie Matei's share on the transfermarkt.com specialty portal
