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London's Arsenal officially agreed to sign forward Lukas Podolski for about 13.5 million euros.
The 26-year-old footballer began his career with the Cologne team, but in 2006 he shook hands with Bayern Munich. However, after failing to establish himself in the Bavarian team, the German returned to his hometown club.
"I am very happy to try myself in the Arsenal team and the Premier League," said Podolski, who has represented the national team 95 times. "It is one of the biggest clubs in Europe, with an impressive history. In addition, the team has many top-level players who demonstrate fantastic style of football."
He continued: "I made this decision not against Cologne, but to take advantage of a great opportunity. It was not easy to decide, because Cologne, the fans, and the city are special to me."
This season in the German league, Podolski scored 18 goals.
