Raja are closing in on the signing of defender Marian Huja, with negotiations between the club and Romanian side Cluj reaching advanced stages. Only the final procedures now stand between the player and a switch to the green side in the current summer transfer window.
Moroccan website «Hespress» reports that Raja's management have struck a preliminary agreement with Cluj over the financial value of the deal, which is expected to reach around 350,000 euros.
Huja is now open to leaving the Romanian club. His relationship with the coach has grown tense, and he wants a fresh challenge and a change of scenery next season.
The move forms part of the club's push to strengthen the centre-back position, particularly after Abdellah Khafifi departed at the end of his contract and with Badr Banoun potentially on his way out too.
At 27, Huja holds both Portuguese and Romanian nationality. He plays as a centre-back and favours his left foot, an asset that hands him extra options in building play and bringing the ball out from the back line.
Trained at Portugal's Belenenses academy, the defender went on to several professional spells in Denmark, Romania and Poland, soaking up lessons from different European football schools before his current stint with Cluj.
Credit for the choice goes to Portuguese sporting director Matias Rogero, who has put his faith in his compatriot to shore up Raja's defence as part of the club's strategy to build a more balanced squad before the new season.
Now Huja is close to arriving in Morocco to complete the paperwork on his transfer. With talks between Raja and Cluj all but wrapped up, the official announcement will follow once the administrative and medical aspects are done.
The potential deal comes after Raja pulled out of a move for Nabil El Aliwi, who failed his medical. That has made the Portuguese-Romanian defender one of the most prominent options to bolster the green side's back line.