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Andrei Cordea signs for Yunnan Yukun and will move to China in January

8 Nov 2026 · Life Abroad

Andrei Cordea is heading to China. CFR Cluj and Yunnan Yukun have signed the paperwork for the 27-year-old Romanian winger, who will join the Chinese club when its winter window opens in January 2027.

CFR coach Marius Șumudică confirmed the deal at his press conference before Sunday's game with Universitatea Craiova and said Cordea will keep playing for CFR until he leaves. Cordea has 21 goals in 56 games for the club since arriving on a free transfer from Saudi side Al Tai in July 2025.

Romanian outlets report a one-year contract with an option for a second, and a salary of around €800,000 a season plus bonuses, with some putting the total near €1 million. They also report Cordea agreed to give up about €140,000 in unpaid wages CFR owed him as part of the deal. He will join two other Romanians at Yunnan, Alexandru Ioniță and Andrei Burcă.

What it means for the move

Cordea has done this before, with a spell in Saudi Arabia, and this time he has a gap of about two months between signing and moving. That window is when the life abroad setup gets done: where the salary will be paid and in what currency, housing, a local bank account, and leaning on teammates who have already made the same move. A bigger contract only helps if the money side is sorted before you land.

Sources