He had the opportunity to stay in Italy, but ended up at Craiova University! Why the move to Palermo failed
Article by Robert Vîrdol – Published Monday, June 15, 2026, 11:27 / Updated Monday, June 15, 2026 11:29
The University of Craiova made the second move on the mercato market and brought in a new goalkeeper, Răzvan Sava, after the arrival of Alexandru Maxim. The Romanian from Italy had another alternative, but no agreement was reached.
Răzvan Sava could reach Palermo
From the information obtained by Gazeta Sporturilor, Răzvan Sava was an option for Palermo this summer, a Serie B team. However, the Romanian did not reach serious discussions with the Sicilian team, because Udinese could not come to an agreement with them in the negotiations for his salary.
Răzvan Sava // PHOTO: Imago Images
The Romanian was no longer an option for Udinese, and Palermo wanted to pay a very small part of his salary, and let his club take care of the rest. This option was not accepted, and the player's representatives made the decision that a return to Romania is a much better one.
Craiova University agreed with the Italian club for a loan, with a purchase option that will be just over 1 million euros.
The Romanian goalkeeper still has a contract with Udinese until 2029, being brought in 2024 for the sum of 2.5 million euros. Currently, Răzvan Sava is quoted at the same amount according to Transfermarkt. At Udinese he played in just two seasons and collected 23 matches in all competitions. Most of the time, it was kept on the bench.
In Craiova, he would have a lot of competition with Laurentiu Popescu, the goalkeeper that Craiova relied on at the end of the title season.
The other man among the stumps would only be Pavlo Isenko, the goalkeeper who is injured and would recover in November or December.
