On 16 June 2016, Rezaei refused to extend contract with Zob Ahan and signed a contract with Esteghlal.
He later revealed that he had an offer from Persepolis before but rejected it due to personal reasons.
He was handed the number 9 jersey that was previously held by Esteghlal's legend Arash Borhani.

Rezaei made his debut on 25 July 2016 in a 1–1 draw against Naft Tehran and he assisted Jaber Ansari's goal.
In the next match on 31 July, he scored his first goal for Esteghlal in a 2–1 loss against Esteghlal Khuzestan.
He scored a header in a 1–1 draw against Machine Sazi on 11 September.
On 12 February 2017, Esteghlal defeated city rivals Persepolis 3–2, with Rezaei scoring the third goal.
On 27 February 2017, in an AFC Champions League group-stage match against Al-Taawoun FC, he scored 53 seconds after kick-off; it was the fastest goal scored by an Iranian in an AFC Champions League match.
On 11 April, he scored another champions league goal against Lokomotiv Tashkent to equalise the scoreline, as the game ended 1–1.
In the following champions league game against Al-Ahli which the match finished at 1–1, he scored another equaliser.
On 4 May 2017, he assisted Jaber Ansari's goal in Esteghlal's 2–1 win against Sepahan.
This assist made him the top provider in the league.
He finished the season with 7 goals and 9 assists as Esteghlal finished the season as runners-up in the league.
On 10 May, he scored and assisted in the champions league match against Al-Taawoun as Esteghlal beat their opponent 2–1 and qualified to the next round.
On 22 May, he scored a late winning goal from the penalty spot against Al Ain the match finished 1–0.
On 16 June 2016, Rezaei refused to extend contract with Zob Ahan and signed a contract with Esteghlal. He later revealed that he had an offer from Persepolis before but rejected it due to personal reasons. He was handed the number 9 jersey that was previously held by Esteghlal's legend Arash Borhani.
Rezaei made his debut on 25 July 2016 in a 1–1 draw against Naft Tehran and he assisted Jaber Ansari's goal. In the next match on 31 July, he scored his first goal for Esteghlal in a 2–1 loss against Esteghlal Khuzestan. He scored a header in a 1–1 draw against Machine Sazi on 11 September. On 12 February 2017, Esteghlal defeated city rivals Persepolis 3–2, with Rezaei scoring the third goal. On 27 February 2017, in an AFC Champions League group-stage match against Al-Taawoun FC, he scored 53 seconds after kick-off; it was the fastest goal scored by an Iranian in an AFC Champions League match. On 11 April, he scored another champions league goal against Lokomotiv Tashkent to equalise the scoreline, as the game ended 1–1. In the following champions league game against Al-Ahli which the match finished at 1–1, he scored another equaliser. On 4 May 2017, he assisted Jaber Ansari's goal in Esteghlal's 2–1 win against Sepahan. This assist made him the top provider in the league. He finished the season with 7 goals and 9 assists as Esteghlal finished the season as runners-up in the league. On 10 May, he scored and assisted in the champions league match against Al-Taawoun as Esteghlal beat their opponent 2–1 and qualified to the next round. On 22 May, he scored a late winning goal from the penalty spot against Al Ain the match finished 1–0.
Kaveh Rezaei