Cologne rules out Podolski exit

Published Aug. 23, 2011 10:39 a.m. ET

foxsports

Cologne sporting director Volker Finke has ruled out selling striker Lukas Podolski in this transfer window.

Podolski is thought to be unsettled at the RheinEnergieStadion after recently being stripped off the captaincy but Finke is adamant the 26-year-old is not for sale despite reported interest from Galatasaray.

Finke told the Bild newspaper: "I got a call three or four days ago from a broker who wanted to know if Podolski was for sale.

"The conversation was very brief. I told him that we were keeping him, no ifs or buts."

That sentiment was echoed by Cologne boss Stale Solbakken, who said of Podolski, who missed the weekend draw against Kaiserslautern through illness: "I have spoken on the phone with Luka twice over the weekend and he said nothing about Galatasaray.

"I get the impression that he will stay. He's not a player for Galatasaray but for a big club."

Poland-born Podolski made his name at Cologne before joining Bayern Munich in 2006.

He spent two and a half years at the Allianz Arena before returning to Cologne in January 2009.