Transfer blow for Gerena: Levski signs a foreign international as summer window closes

Levski Sofia spent the final days of the transfer window pursuing a Romanian international striker while handling a series of departures and potential outgoing deals.

Levski, nicknamed "the Blues," are one of Bulgaria's two major football clubs and are currently competing in the UEFA Europa League group stage.

The Dragus chase

Standart reports that Levski were in advanced discussions to sign Romanian international forward Denis Dragus, a 27-year-old striker whose rights are held by Turkish club Trabzonspor. Dragus, who stands 185 centimetres tall, has earned 28 caps and scored 7 goals for Romania, including a goal against Ukraine at Euro 2024. His most productive club spell came at Gaziantep, where he scored 17 goals, and he also played for Standard Liege in Belgium.

Levski needed to finalise any deal quickly enough to register Dragus for their upcoming Europa League fixtures. Gong.bg reports that Romanian club FCSB, owned by Gigi Becali, entered the race with a reported fixed annual salary of 500,000 euros, plus bonuses: an additional 500,000 euros for qualifying for the Europa League or Conference League and a further one million euros for reaching the Champions League. With no confirmed deal from Gerena by the deadline, Gong suggests the transfer did not go through.

Departures and a potential big sale

Standart notes that Levski sent Croatian defender Stipe Vulic on loan to Septemvri until the end of 2026, a move widely read as freeing up one of the club's 20 permitted foreign-player slots. Vulic, born in January 2001, had made five appearances for the first team and was still returning from injury.

Standart also reports that Greek club Aris Thessaloniki were said to be counting Venezuelan international Cristian Makoun as a near-certain signing, with a fee of 3.5 million euros reportedly on the table. Greek media noted the deal needed to close quickly given Greece's different transfer deadline. Sources familiar with the situation said Makoun would most likely stay at Levski until winter, when strong Europa League performances could push his market value higher.