Arsenal agree £10.9m Podolski deal

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign German international striker Lukas Podolski, according to BBC Sport.

The Cologne forward will join The Gunners in a four-year deal worth £100,000-a-week, becoming the club's highest paid player for a fee understood to be around £10.9 million.

Podolski, who has featured at the last two World Cup finals, has scored 43 international goals in 91 games for Germany, a product of the country's proficient youth system.

The 26-year-old will link up with top scorer Robin van Persie in attack for Arsene Wenger's side, assuming the Dutchman signs an extension to his current contract which expires in 2013.

Currently Bundesliga's joint second highest goalscorer, Podolski has netted 16 times domestically for a Cologne side staring down the barrel of a late season relegation battle.

The Gunners fans will be hoping the addition of Podolski will spark a summer overhaul following another year without a trophy at the Emirates Stadium.

The agreement of the deal signals towards a fruitful summer for the north Londoners, who waited until the twilight of the transfer window to complete a number of their deals last year, a reason behind their struggles domestically and in Europe.