Rareș Andrei Ilie (; born 19 April 2003) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Mantova.
Ilie started his senior career with Rapid București at the age of 17, amassing over 58 matches in Romania's first two leagues before signing with French club Nice in 2022.
At the international level, he has represented the under-18, under-19 and under-21 teams.
Club career
Rapid București Ilie made his senior debut for Rapid București on 5 September 2020, aged 17, in a 2–1 victory over Pandurii Târgu Jiu in the Liga II. On 19 November the same year, he scored his first senior goal in a 1–0 league win against Universitatea Cluj. During the 2020–21 season, he amassed three goals from 22 appearances, as Rapid Bucureşti finished as Liga II runners-up and secured direct promotion.
On 18 July 2021, Ilie made his Liga I debut by starting in a 1–0 win over Chindia Târgoviște. His first goal in the competition came on 19 November, in a 2–2 away draw against the same opponent. Ilie featured in 38 matches and scored six goals in all competitions during the 2021–22 campaign, and established himself as a regular first-team player.
Nice On 14 July 2022, Rapid București shareholder Victor Angelescu announced an agreement for the move of Ilie to Ligue 1 club Nice. The French side officially announced his signing three days later, and the press generally reported the transfer fee as €5 million plus potential bonuses.
Ilie made his debut on 7 August 2022, coming on as a substitute in the 64th minute for Alexis Beka Beka in a 1–1 league draw at Toulouse, and one week later, he started in a 1–1 home draw against Strasbourg. On 18 August, he made his European debut in a 0–1 away loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round.
Various loans On 1 February 2023, Ilie moved to Israeli Premier League team Maccabi Tel Aviv on loan for the remainder of the season. He started in eight league matches and did not score.
On 20 June 2023, Ilie signed for newly-promoted Swiss Super League club Lausanne-Sport on a season-long loan deal. On 29 July, he scored the opening goal in a 1–1 home draw against Grasshoppers.
On 24 January 2025, Ilie signed for Serie B club Catanzaro on a six-month loan, with an option to make the move permanent.
On 9 July 2025, Ilie returned to Serie B and joined Empoli on a loan deal, with an option to buy.
Mantova On 28 July 2026, Ilie moved to Serie B on a permanent basis, signing a three-year contract with Mantova.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRapid București2020–21Liga II22300——2332021–22Liga I36620—— 386Total58920——609Nice2022–23Ligue 1400040—802024–25Ligue 1200000—20Total600040—100Maccabi Tel Aviv (loan)2022–23Israeli Premier League8010——90Lausanne-Sport (loan)2023–24Swiss Super League29321——314Catanzaro (loan)2024–25Serie B150——30180Empoli (loan) 2025–26Serie B26121——282Mantova 2026–27Serie B5120——71Career total1471492403016316
References
External links Profile at the OGC Nice website