Nicușor Bancu

Nicușor Silviu Bancu (Romanian pronunciation: [nikuˈʃor ˈsilvju ˈbaŋku]; born 18 September 1992) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays for CS Universitatea Craiova and the Romanian national team as a left midfielder or a left back.

Club Career

Bancu recorded his competitive debut for CS Universitatea Craiova on 16 July 2014, a 0–1 Cupa Ligii loss to Rapid București. His first Liga I match came nine days later in a 1–1 home draw with Pandurii Targu Jiu.

He scored his first goal for the Alb-albaștrii on 9 September that year, in a 2–0 defeat of Universitatea Cluj. 29 October, Bancu was injured by Viitorul Constanța player Alin Șeroni in a Cupa Romaniei Round of 16 game, which ended 1–1 after 90 minutes. He suffered a broken tibia and was sidelined for around half a year.

Bancu made 34 appearances in all competitions in the following season, as his team finished on the eighth place in the domestic league.

In 2019, it was announced that Lazio are keen on bringing Craiova captain Bancu to Stadio Olimpico. They have been monitoring his progress over the past few seasons. Former Biancocelesti captain, Cristiano Bergodi, likened Bancu to Senad Lulic. Earlier, in 2016, Universitatea Craiova rejected an offer from PSV Eindhoven for Bancu.