Andrei Coubiś has passed his medical ahead of a move to Lincoln City, according to Universitatea Cluj president Radu Constantea.
Constantea has also confirmed, for the first time, that the buying club are the Imps, and that documents were signed between the two clubs late on Wednesday night, following negotiations which began after U Cluj’s recent friendly against Dynamo Kyiv. The 22-year-old has reportedly already travelled to England and completed an extensive medical with the Imps.
However, there are still some final steps to complete before the transfer can be formally announced. Coubiș must secure the necessary clearance to work in the United Kingdom, but the most significant part of the process, an agreement between the two clubs, is now in place.
“Late last night, the documents between the two clubs were signed,” Constantea told Digi Sport.
“Andrei Coubiș passed his medical examination. There were two days during which he underwent several tests, and he received the all clear from that point of view.
“Next, he has to reach an agreement on his contract with the club there, then complete the procedure regarding his right to work in the United Kingdom.”
That provides some clarity around the current state of the deal. Reports earlier in the week suggested Coubiș had travelled to Lincoln, but there had been no confirmation that an agreement had actually been signed.
U Cluj & Lincoln City Negotiations
Constantea has now revealed that the proposed transfer advanced significantly after City returned with an improved offer. The Imps’ opening proposal was rejected, but negotiations resumed, and a substantially increased bid was accepted eight or nine days later.
“If these things are finalised in the coming days, then the transfer will be completed. At this moment, there is only an agreement between the clubs.
“Andrei Coubiș has been monitored by several teams recently, but what Lincoln offered, both for us and in terms of the player’s prospects, convinced us.
“The discussions began immediately after the match in Lublin against Dynamo Kyiv. I think he had been watched for a longer period, but the official talks started then.
“Initially, the offer was much lower, and we rejected it immediately. Later, after eight or nine days, they significantly increased their proposal and we accepted.”
The comments suggest City had been tracking Coubiș before making their formal approach, which, given the numbers involved, is no surprise. Club officials (Jez, you’d imagine) were reported to have watched him during the goalless draw with Dynamo Kyiv, after which negotiations appear to have moved quickly.
Romanian reports have put the value of the accepted proposal at €3 million, around £2.6 million, with U Cluj also retaining a 15 per cent interest in any future transfer. It is not clear how much of the reported figure would be paid initially or whether the total includes performance-related add-ons. His former employers, Sampdoria, are also due a payment, despite him not featuring for them.
Should those figures prove accurate, Coubiș would become U Cluj’s record sale. The previous benchmark was the €1.5 million received from Poli Timișoara for Dorin Goga in 2009. It would absolutely top the Imps’ record purchase, which, depending on who you believe, is currently either Josh Honohan or Ivan Varfolomeev. it would be only the second £1m deal the club has ever been involved in for a player, coming off the back of Jovon Makama’s sale last summer.
It would also represent a remarkable return for the Romanian side. Coubiș initially joined U Cluj on loan from Sampdoria in January, having struggled for senior opportunities in Italy. He quickly established himself in Cristiano Bergodi’s team, and the club reportedly activated an option to sign him permanently for just €125,000.
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His performances in Romania also helped him break into the senior national team. Coubiș had previously represented Romania at youth level, as well as spending time in Italy’s international set-up, before making his senior Romanian debut earlier this year.
The Milan-born centre-back developed in AC Milan’s academy, captaining their under-19 side and appearing for Milan Futuro in Serie C. He did not make a competitive first-team appearance, although he was named among the substitutes for Champions League matches against Chelsea and Dinamo Zagreb in 2022.
For now, no noises have come out of the club, but one would expect they’re finalising every last detail before making any sort of announcement. That is, of course, unless Cluj are on one big wind-up. To be fair, when you’re writing articles about AC Milan, £2m, European fixtures and Lincoln City, it does feel that way.
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