Maldarasanu to remain at Rapid

Protracted negotiations
The 31-year-old, who has been at the club for eight years and has twice helped Rapid to claim the league title, would have become a free agent in the summer and remained in Bucharest to negotiate the contract with Rapid while his team-mates departed for their winter training camp in Cyprus on Friday night. Maldarasanu has won seven caps for Romania and departed for Cyprus this afternoon once negotiations had been successfully concluded.

Badoi dilemma
Fellow midfielder Emanoil-Valentin Badoi, who has represented Romania on five occasions, joined Maldarasanu in travelling to Cyprus a day later than his team-mates, although he is yet to accept Rapid's offer of a new contract. The 30-year-old's current deal expires in the summer. Rapid face German side Hertha BSC Berlin in the UEFA Cup Round of 32.