Article by Cezar Titor – Published on Wednesday, 01 April 2026 23:18 / Updated on Wednesday, 01 April 2026 23:18
In the summer, one of Dinamo's priorities is to bring at least two central defenders. At least one of them will be chosen from the pattern that the “dogs” have preferred since returning to the Super League: young, Romanian players with perspective.
In this context, the red-whites have on the transfer list two footballers who perfectly fit this profile and in whom they have been interested in the past: Emanuel Marincău and Mario Bărăitaru.
The portrait of the two central defenders that Dinamo has in its sights for the summer: Marincău and Bărăitaru
A central defender by trade, Emanuel, 19, comes from a family with a footballing tradition. His father played for teams such as FC Argeș, FCM Reșița, Cluj University and UTA Arad, but also in the lower leagues in Germany.
Emanuel was a key player in the training tournaments leading up to the U19 European Championship last year, and is currently part of the U20 national team. He was integral in the matches played in March, against Poland and Switzerland, under the command of Iencsi.
He has been at Mainz since 2017, where he currently plays for the second team of the German club. He measures 190 centimeters, is right-handed and can cover both the central defender position and the left or right defender positions.
According to Transfermarkt, he is valued at 125,000 euros. In the current season he has made 21 appearances in the Regionalliga Südwest, the fourth tier of German football, managing to score one goal. Dinamo also wanted him last summer, but the move never materialized.
Emanuel Marincău, hitting the ball with his head
Mario Bărăitaru, aged 19, scored 17 matches for CSM Slatina in the II League, period in which he managed to score twice. He measures 1.85 meters and, like Marincău, made the step from the U19 team to the Romanian U20 team.
Mario Bărăitaru, international U19
At junior level, he performed for Pandurii, LPS Târgu Jiu, FCSB, CFR Cluj and FC Voluntari. In the summer of 2023, he arrived at CSM Deva, where he played in the III League and distinguished himself with an anthological goal. From 2024, he evolves for CSM Slatina.
The stopwatch position, discovered in the “pack”
The only defender that Dinamo can rely on for next season is Matteo Duțu. The player brought from Milan left a very good impression in the derby with Rapid, in the first match as a starter, even if he was eliminated at the end.
Matteo Duțu
Instead, Kennedy Boateng is 99% out of Zeljko Kopic's plans. The Togolese is tempted by a much more financially advantageous offer from China.
Nikita Stoinov's situation is also uncertain. The defender has a release clause of two million euros and could become a target for several clubs, especially after he has already made his debut for Israel's first national team.
Another option for the defensive compartment is Mihnea Toader, the tallest player in the Super League, measuring 202 centimeters.
1 millionof euros is the share of Nikita Stoinov, according to the specialized portal transfermarkt.
Andrei Nicolescu announced that Dinamo has already agreed with a central defender
“We already have the positions for which we are looking for players. We know exactly how the team will be configured, who will stay and how we will be. We already have options that we are discussing with. It was written that we signed a central defender. I said that we are having discussions with one”, Nicolescu said on the “Fotbal Club” show from Digi Sport. Certainly, the player the president of the “dogs” is talking about is Romanian.
“We haven't had discussions on this topic recently. I'm focused on the team. We have a few targets, I know there were discussions for the summer, but from my information we haven't signed any players so far,” replied Zeljko Kopic, however, without giving further details to what the red-white official said.
