Arsenal set to loan Podolski

Berlin - Arsenal are set to loan striker Lukas Podolski to Bundesliga club Schalke 04 as the German international looks to get more playing time in the build-up season to next year's Soccer World Cup in Brazil.

The former Bayern Munich marksman who is under contract with the Londoners until 2014 has struggled to break into Arsene Wenger's starting line-up and may be set for a return to the Bundesliga, according to reports on Friday in German daily Bild.

"Poldi is a great guy who will really suit Schalke. It would be brilliant," said former international Gerald Asamoah who recently moved to Schalke from Greuther Furth.

The team are off to a poor start in domestic action with just one point from two matches and are in desperate need of strike power with Dutch veteran Klaas-Jan Huntelaar out for several weeks with a knee problem while Peruvian Jefferson Farfa is also struggling for fitness.

It is not the first time the Gelsenkirchen club have shown interest in the Polish-born 28-year-old who has scored 46 goals in 111 appearances for Germany, but their bid to sign him in 2007 failed to materialise.