Cologne - Bundesliga club Cologne confirmed on Tuesday night that they are plan to bring their long lost son Lukas Podolski back home to the club from Bayern Munich. Club president Wolfgang Overath and general manager Michael Meier said that Cologne have talked with the relevant parties and now wait for a signal from Munich on the future of the Germany striker.
"We have done our homework and will do everything to bring Lukas back home," Overath told Cologne's annual members meeting amid thunderous applause.
Meier said: "Talks were held recently between Cologne and Bayern Munich and between Cologne and Lukas. Now we are waiting for a signal."
Podolski, 23, left Cologne for the reigning Bundesliga champions Munich in 2006 for 10 million euros (7.7 million dollars) on a contract until 2010.
But he failed to make a major impact there, has long been unhappy about his role as reserve player and said earlier this week he had told Munich officials he wanted to leave during the winter break.
Munich insist that no player is for sale during the January transfer window, but there is speculation that they only want to raise the price tag for the 60-times capped Podolski. A fee of 15 million euros has been mentioned in the media.
Cologne are reportedly talking to local investors to come up with the money for Podolski, who joined Cologne as a 10-year-old in 1995 and was loyal to the club in a second-division season 2005-06.
