Transfer Rumor: Arsenal to Make £20m January Bid for Lukas Podolski for Strike Support Upfront?

With the January transfer window closing in, the German media has reported that Arsenal have sent their scouting team over to Germany to look at FC Koln's striker Lukas Podolski, with a view to bring the talented player to the Emirates Stadium this January.

Additionally, there are also rumors of Fiorentina’s Montenegrin striker Stevan Jovetic coming to Arsenal, making this yet another high-profile target man, this time from Germany, reportedly heading for the Gunners. With the expected departure, due to the lack of form, of Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh, the Gunners are in search of a reliable striker to bolster the team’s firepower.

Wenger, if he happens to land Podolski this January, will know that the player’s versatility helps him play either out wide or through the middle. The Arsenal boss will also have the option of playing Podolski as a back-up to van Persie or even field the two of them together. Podolski could even play on the left creating head-aches for full-backs with his skill and pace.

Elsewhere, Wenger also has Belgian winger Eden Hazard on his cards. Hazard could leave France if his current clube, Lille, are knocked out of this season’s Champions League. If this is true then Wenger will have to decide if he will use the available funds to acquire Podolski or Hazard.

The sum of £20 million was originally meant for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, the Gunners’ original target, according to a Caughtoffside report.

Podolski, who was previously eligible to play for the Polish national team before choosing to represent Germany, joined FC Koln in 1995. Podolski helped his club in the relegation fight in the 2004–05 season with 24 goals. In 2006, Podolski announced that a transfer agreement had been reached with Bayern Munich, allowing him to join the Bavarian side for the 2006–07 season with the transfer fee speculated to be around €10 million. He featured in 72 games for Bayern and managed to score 15 times

Again in 2009, Podolski returned to Koln on a four-year contract. Since re-joining Koln, Podolski has scored 23 times in 69 games, compared to his previous stint with the same club when he made 81 appearances and managed to find the back of the net 46 times.