Lukas Podolski’s nightmare at Arsenal may be soon coming to an end. One of the most reliable sources in Germany, BILD, has reported today that the striker will be allowed to leave the Emirates Stadium in January for a startlingly low price of €5 million in January.
The southpaw has been left extremely frustrated at his lack of first-team football in Arsene Wenger’s side, and has clearly expressed his wish to be at a club where he will be more involved. He had said earlier this week: “I want to play. If you take me to the competition and the fun, I’m not satisfied. ”
Podolski joined Arsenal in 2012 from Koln and was expected to make a big impact in the Premier League. His tenure with the Gunners though, has been very disappointing, with most of his 75 appearances coming off the bench. This season, he has featured just 4 times in the league, and hasn’t started even one of those games.
As a result of this, the 29 year-old has lost his place in the German national side as well. With an incredible 121 appearances for his country, it wasn’t long back that Podolski was one of the main men in Jaochim Loew’s side. He was an integral part of the Deutschland team in the 2010 World Cup, but didn’t appear in a single game after the group stages in the 2014 edition in Brazil, which Germany won.
Loew too, has urged Podolski to quit Arsenal and look for regular first-team football elsewhere in order to get back into the reckoning for Germany. With the immense amount of talent that the country is producing, it is imperative that he plays regularly at the club level to have any chance of appearing for the national side in the future.
“For Luke is imperative that he plays somewhere regularly. Therefore, his situation is currently not optimal, ” Loew said.
With such a top striker available for such a cheap price, a whole host of clubs are in the market. Bundesliga outfits Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Schalke are eyeing him, while Serie A champions Juventus are also interested.
Turkish side Galatasaray failed to land Podolski in the summer after courting him right till the end and are expected to stake their claim again. Their compatriots Besiktas and Fenerbahce are also tracking the situation.
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