Lincoln City have announced the signing of centre-back Andrei Coubiș from Romanian first division side FC Universitatea Cluj for an undisclosed fee, subject to a work permit and international clearance.
The Romanian joins the Imps just one game into their season as Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw prepare for their next pre-season test back on home soil away to Grimsby Town.
Coubiș joined his former side on loan at the start of the 2025/26 season from Italian giants AC Milan where he made 34 appearances for Milan Futuro.
The international also featured twice for the first team in friendly matches against FC Köln in 2022 and most recently last summer against Premier League side Leeds United.
He also managed to earn himself a place on the bench in three UEFA Champions League games against World Champions Chelsea both home and away.
As well as the away tie against Dinamo Zagreb and has since had a loan spell at Serie B side Sampdoria where he failed to make an appearance.
The now 22-year-old defender then joined U Cluj permanently on July 1 for €150,000 and has since made just one of his 20 appearances for the side.
He now moves to the ProAmpac Stadium for a reported €3 million and and becomes the Imps’ second signing of the summer after left-back Callum Elder joined from Derby County.
On joining the EFL Championship outfit, Sporting director Jez George said: “Andrei has elite physical attributes, plays with real aggression, shows composure in possession, fits our profile in this position perfectly and has a really high ceiling.
“With the signing of Calum Elder, plus Deji Elerewe and Josh Honohan in January, this completes our recruitment for this unit of the team.