The Nikolov brothers will be teammates at Lube Civitanova. This is clear from information from a source close to the family of the two Bulgarian national players.
According to the source, key rearrangements among setters in Europe have practically been finalized. Mattia Boninfante is leaving Italy and will continue his career in Russia – initially, a variant with Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk) was discussed, but the latest information is that he will play for Zenit (Saint Petersburg). At the same time, Luciano De Cecco is also heading to Russia, where he will join Lokomotiv (Novosibirsk).
According toVolleyball.itin Russia, the Italian will earn 300 thousand euros annually (about 27.6 million rubles). As Volley Magazine claims, the St. Petersburg club attempted to attract the Nikolov brothers – Simeon and Aleksandar, but ultimately, they will play together for "Civitanova."
Under these circumstances, Lube is left with only one realistic option for the setter position – Simeon Nikolov. Thus, the younger of the brothers will take the vacant spot and join Alex Nikolov in the same team.
If the transfer is finalized, Lube will have two Bulgarian national players in its main rotation – a rare and strong move that underlines the Italian giant's trust in young athletes from Bulgaria.
Truth be told, the first to openly speak about this option, which everyone in Bulgaria secretly hoped would happen, was volleyball blogger Jakub Balcerzak, who posted a tweet with this direction a month ago.
Official confirmation is expected in the coming days, which will put an end to speculation about the future of the setters and provide full clarity on Lube's squad for the next season.
