Union Berlin have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Mauro Lustrinelli as their new coach, with the deal likely to become official by the end of the day.
The league has agreed to pay Lustrinelli’s current club Thun, the Swiss club where he plays, nearly 1 million euros ($1.16 million) to release him from his contract until 2028, Sky said on Thursday.
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Swiss national Lustrinelli, 50, has led newly-promoted Club Thurn to a stunning title win in the Swiss League this season.
After finishing 11th in the Bundesliga, he became the league’s preferred candidate to take over in the new season. Union president Dirk Zingler and managing director Horst Heldt have reportedly held in-depth talks with Lustrinelli over the past few days.
Steffen Baumgart had to leave last month, leaving Marie-Louise Eta to oversee the final five seasons, making her the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in Europe’s top leagues. Etta will continue to coach the Union women’s team.
The league previously had a Swiss coach, Urs Fischer, from 2018 to 2023. He led the team to the Bundesliga in 2019 and the UEFA Champions League in 2023 with a fourth-place finish.