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Podolski planning to transfer teams

Bayern Munich's Lukas Podolski announced Monday he wanted to find a new club in the January transfer window.

Podolski planning to transfer teams
'Poldi' at the Eintracht Frankfurt game in October. Photo: DPA

“I’ve made my decision, I would like to leave the club this winter,” the unsettled striker told daily Bild.

“I’ve already told the directors (at Bayern) that I want to go,” the 23-year-old added.

Podolski’s impact on the national team where he has earned 60 caps and scored 31 goals has not been mirrored at Bayern where he is under contract until 2010.

Coach Jürgen Klinsmann has made him a reserve behind first-choice attackers Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

In October he was publically criticised by Bayern manager Uli Hoeness for his performance in a game against Eintracht Frankfurt in October.

Podolski, who played a starring role in finalist Germany’s Euro 2008 campaign, scoring three goals, may attract interest from English Premier League sides like Tottenham, who were linked with a move for the player after the Euro.

Manchester City and Real Madrid have also been linked to the German star

who has said his dream move would be back to Cologne from where he broke into the German team.

But coach Klinsmann said Monday afternoon that Podolski’s decision didn’t change anything for the team. “We want to go into the final round with a minimum of four strikers, and one of these is Lukas Podolski,” Klinsmann told Der Spiegel, adding that the two have been in ongoing talks. But “unfortunately he continues to box his way through in the same ways. The constellation is simply the way it is,” Klinsmann said. “That’s all I can give him on his way.”

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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