Transfer talk: Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski set for Inter Milan loan; Bordeaux hopeful for Yaya Sanogo deal

Lukas Podolski arrived in Milan on Friday ready to sign the loan deal with Inter, while Bordeaux are targeting Sanogo for a loan themselves. Bayern Munich also snatched up a 19-year-old.

Lukas Podolski holds up a blue and black scarf - Inter Milan colours - on his arrival in Milan, Italy on Friday, purportedly to sign a loan deal with the club. Matteo Bazzi / EPA / January 2, 2015

Inter Milan

German World Cup winner Lukas Podolski arrived in Milan on Friday where he was poised to sign a loan deal with Inter Milan after being frozen out by Arsenal.

The 29-year-old has become increasingly frustrated at his lack of playing time with the Premier League side.

Podolski was pictured on the Inter website brandishing a blue and black club scarf on his arrival in the Italian city.

His move to Italy comes despite Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Tuesday describing Inter’s interest as “a joke”.

Podolski, who moved to Arsenal from Cologne in 2012, is due to undergo a medical on Saturday and could make his debut against champions Juventus on Tuesday.

He has scored 31 goals for Arsenal but has yet to start a Premier League match this season.

Reports on the morning of Thursday’s game at Southampton, which Arsenal lost 2-0, claimed Podolski had stormed out of training session in frustration at being repeatedly omitted from Wenger’s starting line-up.

The Germany international took to social media to deny a bust-up and Wenger insisted Podolski was absent from his squad because of a groin injury.

But Wenger did admit the player could be allowed to leave for Inter if the Serie A club improved on their first offer for the player.

“Look, the first proposal (from Inter) was farcical. After they come back a bit more serious then we will see what happens,” Wenger said.

Asked if a move was inevitable, he added: “Inevitable in a transfer is very difficult to say but we’ll see what happens.”

Bordeaux

Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol said on Friday that he is hopeful of completing a deal to sign Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo on a six-month loan.

“We hope that it is on the right road,” said Sagnol when asked about a move to sign the 21-year-old Sanogo.

Bordeaux are looking for a striker to plug the considerable gap left by the loss of giant Malian Cheick Diabate, the club’s leading scorer who requires knee surgery and will be out for four months.

Arsenal would reportedly prefer that Sanogo is loaned to a club in England but the player himself may be keen on joining Bordeaux having worked under Sagnol with the France Under 21 side.

Sanogo started his career at Auxerre in the second tier in France before moving to Arsenal in the summer of 2013.

However, he has yet to score in 11 Premier League appearances and has one goal in four Champions League matches, against Borussia Dortmund earlier this season.

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich have snatched rising German star Joseph Kimmich from under the noses of Bundesliga rivals Stuttgart.

Highly-rated defensive midfielder Kimmich, 19, a member of Germany’s U19 European championship-winning side, was due to leave RB Leipzig at the end of the season to return to his former club Stuttgart.

But Bayern director of football Matthias Sammer and coach Pep Guardiola had singled Kimmich out as being high on their list of transfer priorities and the club moved in with an undisclosed offer to Stuttgart to allow the player to join the Bavarians instead on July 1 on a five-year contract.

Southampton

Japanese international defender Maya Yoshida has agreed a new three-year deal with Southampton, the Premier League club announced on Friday.

“Southampton Football Club is pleased to announce that Maya Yoshida has agreed terms on a new three-year contract,” read a statement on the club website.

The 26-year-old centre-back previously played for Nagoya Grampus in his homeland and Dutch outfit VVV Venlo before moving to England in 2012.

He was due to be out of contract at the end of this season but will now remain at St Mary’s Stadium until 2018.

Yoshida commented on his official Twitter account: “Very glad to see all of you guys on the Twitter and announce that I’ve just signed another 3 years with #saintsfc!!!!”

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman paid tribute to Yoshida’s work ethic.

He said at a press conference: “I am very pleased about that (news) because in my opinion he is the example of how you have to deal with the job as a football player.

“He works very seriously, always doing his best, always (putting) the team in front of himself, and can play in different positions, so for the coach it is always nice.”

Yoshida came off the bench in Saints’ 2-0 win over Arsenal on New Year’s Day but has now departed for the Asian Cup in Australia, where Japan kick off their campaign against Palestine in Group D in Newcastle on January 12.

Swansea City

Swansea have won the race for the signature of teenage Exeter midfielder Matt Grimes, the Premier League club announced on Friday.

Grimes, 19, an England U20 international, had been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, but has agreed a four-and-a-half year deal at the Liberty Stadium.

Grimes completed his medical on Friday but will not be eligible for Swansea until the visit of West Ham United on January 10.

He made his Exeter debut in August 2013 and went on to make 62 appearances for the Grecians, scoring five goals.

Grimes is Swansea’s second January signing after the arrival of Portugal striker Nelson Oliveira, who has joined on loan from Benfica until the end of the season.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent joined Championship promotion chasers Derby County on loan on Friday.

After falling out of favour with Villa manager Paul Lambert, former Tottenham star Bent has agreed a deal which will see him play for Steve McClaren’s team for the rest of the season.

Bent, capped 13 times by England, will link up with his new Derby teammates for the first time on Monday and hopes to make his club debut in the top-of-the-table clash against Ipswich Town, another of his former clubs, at Portman Road on January 10.

“We are delighted to welcome Darren Bent to Derby County for the rest of the season,” McClaren told Derby’s website.

“I’ve worked with him in the past and he brings significant Premier League and international experience with him.

“We’re braced for an exciting second half of the season and Darren certainly brings big game experience with him.”

Bent, who spent last season on loan at Fulham, has endured a difficult time at Villa Park since his £24 million (Dh135.1m) move from Sunderland four years ago and only recently returned to the Premier League side from a loan spell with Championship outfit Brighton & Hove Albion.

He has made just eight appearances for Villa this season, with seven of them as a substitute.

Bent has scored 106 Premier League goals during spells with Ipswich, Charlton, Tottenham, Sunderland, Villa and Fulham.

Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE