Hamburg - The carnival season is underway in Cologne and many locals would like to see it capped by the return of their football prince Lukas Podolski.

Plenty of revellers dressed in Podolski's Germany jersey with the number 20 and even mayor Fritz Schramma got involved once the carnival action started at 11:11 local time on Tuesday.

"Poldi is just the striker we need next to Milivoje Novakovic. We need a personality like Lukas on the pitch. He is the one who delivers what we need: Goals! Poldi and Cologne belong together," the Bild daily on Wednesday quoted Schramma as saying.

The Podolski saga - will he return to Cologne from Bayern Munich in January? - has not been confined to the carnival season, which runs until February 25, and is not quite as funny either.

"The fans are dreaming, Bayern are stalling, Cologne are silent. And Poldi is unsettled," said the Express daily.

The Poland-born Podolski has never hid his love for Cologne, the club he joined as a 10-year-old in 1995 and even played second-division football for while already a German international.

Podolski joined Bayern Munich in 2006 but has never made a breakthrough at the nation's top club.

He expressed his dissatisfaction on several occasions, but has also not managed to reproduce the form in Munich which he has shown in the national team where he has scored 31 goals in 59 caps.

Podolski visibly enjoys the Germany surroundings and would be delighted if he is back in his home town Cologne.

"For him there is only Cologne, Cologne and Cologne. He dreams of Cologne day and night," said Munich general manager Uli Hoeness sarcastically.

But Hoeness this week also swiftly dismissed a report from Kicker sports magazine that Munich's board had given the nod to let him go in January despite a contract until
2010, if the price is right.

Podolski would be welcomed with open arms in town and at the team which under Christoph Daum is already playing beyond the expectations with 19 points for current eighth place.

Around 10 million euros (12.7 million dollars) has been floated as a transfer fee, the same amount Munich paid for him two years ago.

The club can't come up with the fee, but according to reports a local businessman is setting up an investment fund to acquire the player. Seven million euros have already reportedly been collected.

"It would be tough to get the money for player X. But everyone's eyes light up when the name Podolski is mentioned and they are ready to invest," Express last week quoted a club source as saying. (dpa)