On 7 July 2001, Niculae completed his move to Primeira Liga side Sporting Clube de Portugal signing a three-year contract, with the option of a further two seasons for a reported fee of $3,000,000, despite it is believed that the real transfer fee is estimated around $4,500,000.
On July 7, 2001, Niculae's move to Sporting Clube de Portugal was finalized with a three-year contract and an option for two more years. The reported transfer fee was $3 million, but the actual cost is believed to be around $4.5 million.