Thursday 2 March 2017 10:17, UK
Former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has confirmed he will be leaving Galatasaray at the end of the season and moving to Japan.
The 31-year-old, who spent three years with the Gunners between 2012-15, will be joining J-League side Vissel Kobe.
In a statement on Instagram, he said: "I can confirm that at the end of this season I will join Vissel Kobe from the J-League in Japan. It's not a decision against Galatasaray, it's a decision I made for a new challenge, and I will explain more when the time is right."
Podoloski joined Galatasaray in 2015 and has gone on to win the Turkish Cup and two Turkish Super Cups during his spell in Istanbul.
He has also won 129 caps for Germany, scoring 48 goals, and lifted the World Cup in 2014.
Kobe chairman Hiroshi Mikitani said: "We are very excited to have a world-class striker join the Vissel Kobe team.
"We have very high expectations of Podolski's ability to take the Vissel Kobe team to victory in the J-League.
"Along with the Rakuten partnership with FC Barcelona due to start in July 2017, we expect that Podolski's decision to join us will become another new window to open up Japan to the world of global football."
