On 29 August 2016, amid interest from various European sides including Chelsea, Stanciu travelled to Belgium to sign a five-year contract with Anderlecht.
The latter agreed to pay an initial €7.8 million for his transfer, with bonus clauses taking the potential fee to €9.8 million.
Therefore, he became the then-most expensive player bought by a Belgian club, ahead of former record holder Steven Defour (€6 million, from Porto to Anderlecht in 2014)– in November 2017, his agent confirmed that the additional €2 million had been paid, which also made him the Romanian championship's most expensive sale after surpassing the €9.5 million move of Vlad Chiricheș to Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.

Stanciu made his debut in the Belgian Pro League on 11 September 2016, starting in a 3–2 home victory over Charleroi and receiving a standing ovation as he was substituted in the 85th minute by Olivier Deschacht.
His first goals for the club came on 3 November in a Europa League group stage match against Mainz, when he netted twice for a 6–1 win.
On 5 December, he was sent off for the first time in his career after receiving a second yellow card while playing against Kortrijk, having previously scored in the first half of the game which Anderlecht won 3–1.

Stanciu netted his first goal of 2017 in a league game against Sint-Truiden on 22 January, with his performance also earning him a man of the match award.
On 9 March, he scored the winner against APOEL in the Europa League round of 16's first leg.
He ended his first season in Brussels with eight goals and eight assists in all competitions, as the team won the national championship and subsequently qualified for the Champions League group stage.

At the beginning of the following campaign, Stanciu changed his squad number from 73 to 10.
He was a starter in the 2–1 win in the Belgian Super Cup against Zulte Waregem, on 22 July 2017.

Typically a second-half substitute under coach René Weiler, Stanciu began to play even less frequently after the arrival of Hein Vanhaezebrouck in October 2017.
Belgian press reported that he would leave the capital club in the winter of 2018, either on loan or on a full transfer, with Beşiktaş and Sparta Prague as possible destinations.
On 29 August 2016, amid interest from various European sides including Chelsea, Stanciu travelled to Belgium to sign a five-year contract with Anderlecht. The latter agreed to pay an initial €7.8 million for his transfer, with bonus clauses taking the potential fee to €9.8 million. Therefore, he became the then-most expensive player bought by a Belgian club, ahead of former record holder Steven Defour (€6 million, from Porto to Anderlecht in 2014)– in November 2017, his agent confirmed that the additional €2 million had been paid, which also made him the Romanian championship's most expensive sale after surpassing the €9.5 million move of Vlad Chiricheș to Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.
Stanciu made his debut in the Belgian Pro League on 11 September 2016, starting in a 3–2 home victory over Charleroi and receiving a standing ovation as he was substituted in the 85th minute by Olivier Deschacht. His first goals for the club came on 3 November in a Europa League group stage match against Mainz, when he netted twice for a 6–1 win. On 5 December, he was sent off for the first time in his career after receiving a second yellow card while playing against Kortrijk, having previously scored in the first half of the game which Anderlecht won 3–1.
Stanciu netted his first goal of 2017 in a league game against Sint-Truiden on 22 January, with his performance also earning him a man of the match award. On 9 March, he scored the winner against APOEL in the Europa League round of 16's first leg. He ended his first season in Brussels with eight goals and eight assists in all competitions, as the team won the national championship and subsequently qualified for the Champions League group stage.
At the beginning of the following campaign, Stanciu changed his squad number from 73 to 10. He was a starter in the 2–1 win in the Belgian Super Cup against Zulte Waregem, on 22 July 2017.
Typically a second-half substitute under coach René Weiler, Stanciu began to play even less frequently after the arrival of Hein Vanhaezebrouck in October 2017. Belgian press reported that he would leave the capital club in the winter of 2018, either on loan or on a full transfer, with Beşiktaş and Sparta Prague as possible destinations.
Nicolae Stanciu (footballer, born 1993)