Report: Lukas Podolski Decides to Join Arsenal in Summer, Gunners and FC Cologne Must Negotiate Transfer Fee

Lukas Podolski is confident that he can score goals for club, as well as country. The German international plans to prove it in the Premier League, having decided to join Arsenal FC in the summer, according to Bild.

The 26-year-old's contract expires in 2013, and FC Cologne will cash in on its prized asset in the coming months. The two clubs must agree on a transfer fee, and Arsenal needs to satisfy the player's salary demands. But if the report is true, and he has set his heart on an Arsenal move, the process should be a smooth one.

Podolski has been linked with the Gunners for much of the season. They reportedly bid for his services on two occasions in 2011 (once last summer and again in November), but FC Cologne wanted to keep the German striker at his hometown club.

This season has not gone to plan for Cologne. It had hoped to achieve a top-six finish in the Bundesliga, and qualify for one of next season's European competitions. But inconsistency — both on and off the field — has plagued its 2011-12 campaign. It currently sits in 14th place in the Bundesliga standings.

Podolski has done his best to turn things around, scoring 15 goals in 19 league games. But Cologne has the second-worst defensive record in the German top flight. He'll look to help save the club from relegation, and stay sharp ahead of this summer's European Championships, before heading to North London.

Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O'Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer, NESN Soccer's Facebook page or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

Photo via Flickr/sdhansay