Vissel Kobe’s Lukas Podolski is attracting strong interest from MLS side Chicago Fire and Polish top-division side Gornik Zabrze, the online edition of Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger reported Monday.
The former Germany World Cup winner, 34, is also being linked with Monterrey of Mexico and Flamengo of Brazil, both of whom competed in the Club World Cup in Qatar this month. Chicago was the last club of Podolski’s former Germany and Bayern Munich teammate Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Podolski joined Kobe in the summer of 2017 on a two-and-a-half-year deal, and has scored five goals in each of his three J1 seasons. The former Arsenal star missed roughly half the season but scored a hat trick in the final round against relegated Jubilo Iwata.
Podolski, alongside Spanish World Cup winners Andres Iniesta and retiring David Villa, has the chance to win the club’s first silverware on New Year’s Day when Vissel faces Kashima Antlers in the Emperor’s Cup final, the curtain raiser for the newly built National Stadium in Tokyo.
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