Astralis may add an eighth player to its CS:GO roster ahead of the new season. The Danish powerhouse is in talks with MAD Lions to acquire Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen’s services, according to a report by HLTV.
The two organizations are reportedly in the final stages of negotiations. If the transfer is completed, Bubzkji would join Astralis before the team’s first tournament in the second half of the season—ESL One Cologne Europe, which will be played from Aug. 18 to 30.
Bubzkji’s future with MAD Lions has been uncertain since the end of June when he was reportedly benched by the Danish team. MAD Lions denied the move at the time but did say that its roster was under evaluation. Today, however, MAD Lions’ head coach Luis “peacemaker” Tadeu said during the GC Masters V broadcast that Bubzkji will join a big team soon.
MAD Lions was reportedly in talks to sign Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson from Ninjas in Pyjamas, but the deal apparently fell through this week. That means the Danish team still needs to sign a fifth player for the next season.
The reason for Bubzkji’s potential exit remains a mystery. He’s been one of the best players on MAD Lions, helping them win Flashpoint season one in April. He had a 1.17 average rating over the last three months, according to HLTV stats, the highest average on MAD Lions. Bubzkji has been playing for MAD Lions since December 2019 when the organization bought Tricked’s roster.