Bundesliga Rumors: Union Berlin To Strengthen Midfield With Japanese Winger

In a bid to boost the club's midfield, Union Berlin is looking to sign promising Japanese winger Genki Haraguchi.

The current Hannover 96 starter has enjoyed his best season in 2. Bundesliga. In 32 appearances across competitions this season, he has scored nine goals—the second-best behind forward Marvin Ducksch.

The former Hertha BSC player also has seven assists to his credit.

But Hanover's failure to gain ground for promotion is seen as a reason for Haraguchi's likely return to the top-tier German league, according to Bild.

Union Berlin had recently just signed another midfielder in Rani Khedira, from rival Augsburg, showing they are serious about fortifying the midfield with more attacking flexibility for future years.

Since the Iron Ones signed Urs Fischer to be their manager in 2018, they have made competitive strides.

The club was promoted to Bundesliga in 2019 after placing third in the second-tier league table.

The season after, they finished 11th in the German top-flight league.

In the 2020-21 Bundesliga, Fischer's side is currently eighth, which could have been a lot better if it was not for the club's 13 draws.

In eight of those, Berlin scored only one goal. Two more matches were scoreless draws.

It shows the club needs more finishing as acquiring Khedira and possibly landing Haraguchi soon are the next steps to help address such cracks on offense.

Haraguchi signed with the Hanover side in 2018 on a €4.5 million ($5.43 million) fee. His contract is set to expire this summer, and Berlin is reportedly close to winning his free transfer.

Should the move materialize, Union Berlin will have bested Schalke 04, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Köln and Eintracht Frankfurt.

It will also allow the 29-year-old Japanese national regular exposure at the top-tier level against German giants once more, which he has not done in years.