Iranian outside hitter Porya Hossein Khanzadeh, a teammate of Bulgarian star Alex Nikolov at Italian powerhouse Cucine Lube Civitanova, is set to continue his career in Russia. The news was reported by the Iranian publication Varzesh3, which directly cited the words of the volleyball player himself. This information also appeared in the Russian publication gazetta.ru.

The 21-year-old Khanzadeh (202 cm) has been playing for Civitanova since 2024, but failed to establish himself in the team's rotation, despite expectations for more playing time this season. Despite assurances from the coaching staff that he would receive more opportunities, the situation surrounding the young Iranian did not change, leading to a decision to terminate his contract with the Italian club, where Alex Nikolov also plays.

The young Iranian star informed us that he has reached a preliminary agreement with the Russian club Dynamo-Ural. According to Khanzadeh, if nothing unforeseen happens, he will join the Russian team in the coming days to continue his career in one of the most prestigious volleyball leagues in the world, writes Varzesh3.

If the transfer is finalized, Khanzadeh will become the second Iranian volleyball player in the current Russian championship, after Mobin Nasri from Yaroslavich. For the Ufa club, this is not an unfamiliar direction Amirhossein Esfandiar also played there during the 2022/23 season, becoming the team's top scorer.

The signing of the Iranian outside hitter is a logical step for Dynamo-Ural, as the position for a second foreigner in the squad remained vacant after parting ways with Dick Kooy. Currently, Ufa's main pair of outside hitters are Ilya Spodobets and Kirill Ursov, and the team occupies 12th place in the standings, with 5 wins from 16 matches played.

Before making the move to Europe and Italy, Khanzadeh had only played in his home country, where with club Sirjan, he won the Iranian championship and the Asian Club Championship. On the international stage with Iran's national teams, he has significant achievements a U21 World Championship title and gold from the 2023 Asian Games, as well as participation in the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines.

For Alex Nikolov, the potential transfer means parting ways with another young talent from Civitanova, while for Khanzadeh a chance for a new beginning and a more significant role in the strong and competitive Russian Superleague.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov