Maccabi Tel Aviv Loans Striker Yonatan Nicolaescu to Hapoel Ramat Gan

Maccabi Tel Aviv has finalized the loan of Moldovan striker Yonatan Nicolaescu to Hapoel Ramat Gan until the end of the current season. The deal, previously reported by Sport 5, will see Nicolaescu return to Maccabi Tel Aviv after his loan spell concludes.

Nicolaescu, who has been recovering from a lengthy injury sustained in December, is not part of Maccabi Tel Aviv's plans for the upcoming season. The club needs to free up a roster spot for an additional foreign player before the transfer window closes in five days. Maccabi Tel Aviv had agreed to cover Nicolaescu's full salary and expressed a desire to find a humane solution for the player following his injury. Initially, no concrete solution was found, and the club had not ruled out freezing his contract.

Prior to his injury, Nicolaescu scored two goals in the first half of the season. He previously played for Beitar Jerusalem before joining Maccabi Tel Aviv from Herenveen. He anticipates returning to full fitness around November, after the international break.

Maccabi Tel Aviv signed another foreign striker, Marius Novisi, this past summer. Novisi has come off the bench in the team's first three games, all of which resulted in losses. In their most recent match, the attacking lineup included Matan Hozez, Luan Campos, and David Asenka.