Arsenal Agree £10.9million Striker Signing

Arsenal have had a £10.9 million bid for Koln's German international striker, Lukas Podolski accepted according to the Mail.

The 26 year-old, whose contract with his current Bundesliga side expires in 2013 and has been actively pursuing a move away from Germany for the good of his career has apparently agreed a four year deal with Arsenal worth £100,000 per week and will join Wenger's squad at the end of the current season.

The striker, who has cored 16 goals in 20 League games this season for Koln, has been linked to a number of clubs of late, with big monetary deals supposedly in the offing for him to gobble up, but Podolski recently stated a move would not be for the money: "Money is not the most important thing for me. What is crucial is the development of my game."

Coincidentally, Arsenal would not be able to compete with clubs with backing from billionaire owners willing to spend huge amounts on players wages, which suggests Podolski has had his heart set on a move to Arsenal. This notion has indeed been supported by a current member of the Arsenal squad, who has played with Podolski in the German national team - Per Mertesacker.

The Arsenal defender explained that Podolski has been in contact and has been eager to find out about Arsenal, saying: “He has been very interested in the past few weeks and has sent me a number of text messages. I’ve told him that this is a great place to work and that Arsenal are an amazing club. Nothing has been agreed on yet, though, and Lukas hasn’t given me a ring yet."

Perhaps Mertesacker's praise of Arsenal tipped the balance in Arsenal's favour in terms of persuading Podolski to Arsenal. If reports are true and the left footed striker is on his way to the Emirates at the end of the season, it will certainly boost Robin van Persie's cause as well as adding a reliability and power to the Arsenal attack which is crucial to the sides progress.

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Arsenal striker considering Summer Exit

Arsenal’s summer activity in 2011 saw the London club add to their strike force with 26 year-old Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco for a fee of around £3-£5 million.

It was something of an odd signing, as it soon came to light that the South Korean forward would be forced to leave Arsenal within just two years as he needed to complete compulsory military service for his country: "My national service is inevitable and there is no point in thinking anything else." It was assumed therefore, that the striker would be utilized as much as possible during his short spell with the club.

Well over half way into Park’s debut season in England, and this has evidently not been the case. Whether it be down to the sensational form of Robin van Persie or the fact that Wenger does not trust his new signing to deliver the goals required to impress the Arsenal faithful with an immediate impact can be debated, but with just one league appearance, it seems something isn’t right.

The situation also isn’t something Park himself anticipated when he decided to move to Arsenal from Monaco. he had another another option to consider at the time, with French side Lille close to his signing just before Arsenal swooped, and he may now be regretting choosing England over France, with the prospect of first team footbal far more likely with Lille.

The recent January transfer window saw him linked to fellow Premier League side, Fulham, who apparently attempted to take Park out on loan although no deal materialzed. During the summer, if his situation in the first team does not improve, Park will be looking for a new club as he said: "If the current state continues, we will have to look at the transfer market in the summer.”

It is a far cry from a few months ago when Park joined the Gunners, with Wenger claiming: "He will add true quality to our attacking forces and will be a valuable addition to the squad,"  whilst Park exclaimed with evident delight that: "It is a dream to be here and I am really proud to be an Arsenal player."

A total of five first team appearances with even less full 90 minutes, scoring just the one goal against Bolton in the League Cup has not been the desired start to his England career, and a move looks on the cards for the player who is running out of time.

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Interest Grows in Manchester United Striker

It is looking increasingly likely that Manchester United will be at least one striker lighter this summer, as interest grows across Europe in Sir Alex Ferguson's £30.75 million signing 2008 summer signing, Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian was linked with a move to German side Schalke, with their Dutch striker supposedly set for a move in the other direction in some sort of player-swap deal, which I previously took a look at. Now, the 30 year-old is said to be a serious target of both Galatasaray and Valencia.

Both reports suggest that United would be prepared to sell Berbatov for a significantly less amount than which they paid a few years ago, with the Turkish media claiming Galatasaray would pay as little as £7 million, and Valencia just £10 million. A loss on the £30 million United paid was always inevitable, and with Berbatov's contract running out, a smaller fee is understandable.

Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Bayern Munich and even Inter Milan have all been linked with Berbatov, who is undoubtedly good enough for any of those sides. He is unfortunate in the sense that despite being at one of the biggest clubs in the world and being United's top goalscorer last season, he is among a number of extremely talented strikers, and is finding appearances hard to come by.

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AC Milan Keen On Juventus Striker Amauri

Interesting news are out and it has been revealed that AC Milan are in contact with Juventus over a price for Amauri.

The Turin giants are expected to cash in on the 31 year old this summer, with the centre-forward not in the plans of new coach Antonio Conte.

Amauri revived his career on-loan at Parma last season and Milan coach Max Allegri sees him as cover for No1 striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Corriere dello Sport says Amauri is aware of Milan’s interest and keen on the move.

His agent, Enzo Bronzetti, has close ties to the Rossoneri, which should smooth negotiations.