Union have made their first move in the winter transfer window. The Irons have signed striker Marin Ljubicic from Austrian club LASK. In addition, Maximilian Philipp from SC Freiburg is on the verge of joining.
After the failed engagement of Mergim Berisha and Fisnik Asllani, the Iron have now made their first transfer in the winter transfer window – and Marin Ljubicic has come on board.
The 22-year-old is coming from Austrian first division club Linzer ASK and was already in demand at a number of top clubs in Europe in the summer – now the Croatian is moving to the German top flight and into the attack at the Alte Försterei.
Qualities in front of goal
“Marin is a huge talent in his age group and has shown what he can do in front of goal, and not just at LASK,” said Horst Heldt. ‘His vision, speed and technical strengths will also help us and give the coaching team more options in attack,’ added the Union managing director of professional football.
Ljubicic signed a contract in Berlin on Sunday and will bring a tidy sum of money into the Austrians’ coffers: the two clubs have agreed on a base transfer fee of around €4.5 million plus possible bonus payments, so that the total transfer fee can still rise to up to €5.5 million.
“When you play in Austria, you naturally follow the Bundesliga. I was all the more pleased with Union’s interest and I’m now happy that everything worked out,” explained Ljubicic.
Ljubicic is versatile and can play through the center or on the right wing in attack. In the current season, the striker has scored four goals in 16 league games and also provided two assists. In total, Ljubicic has appeared 100 times for LASK, scoring 36 goals. It is the first time that Ljubicic has played in a top European league: apart from LASK, the U-21 national player has only ever played for his training club Hajduk Split in Croatia.
In addition to Ljubicic, Maximilian Philipp from SC Freiburg will also join the club. Sky reported on this first. However, a confirmation and official announcement by the two clubs is still pending. The 30-year-old has not been able to play in Freiburg recently, and has only played 93 minutes for SCF in the current season.