Union Berlin have reportedly reached an agreement on the signing of Mauro Lustrinelli as their new coach which could be made official before the end of the day.
Sky TV said on Thursday that Union have agreed to pay Lustrinelli’s current Swiss club Thun close to €1 million ($1.16 million) to get him out out of his contract until 2028.
Swiss national Lustrinelli, 50, led promoted Thun to a stunning title in the Swiss league this season.
He was Union’s top candidate to take over for the new season after a 11th-place finish in the Bundesliga. Union president Dirk Zingler and managing director Horst Heldt were reportedly in advanced talks with Lustrinelli over the past days.
Steffen Baumgart had to go last month and Marie-Louise Eta oversaw the last five season games, making her the first woman in charge of a men’s team in a European top league. Eta will move on to coach Union’s women’s team.
Union have had a Swiss coach before, with Urs Fischer in charge between 2018 and 2023. He led them into the Bundesliga in 2019 and into the Champions League with a fourth-place finish in 2023.