Former Germany forward Lukas Podolski is set to gain full ownership of Górnik Zabrze, the Polish club he has played for since 2021.
The 2014 World Cup winner, 40, has shares in the club and said "now I will buy the rest."
The Zabrze city council unanimously backed a proposal to sell 86% of the remaining shares to Podolski, the PAP news agency reported on Wednesday.
The contract is due to be signed on Thursday.
"In my opinion a city has other duties: You must build playgrounds, do other things, improve infrastructure, but not manage a football club. Before the club ends up in someone else's hands, I said I'd rather it ended up in good hands with me," Podolski said.
Podolski was born in Poland and moved to Germany at a young age. Before joining Zabrze, he played for clubs including Cologne, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Galatasaray and Vissel Kobe.
Podolski helped Zabrze win the Polish Cup for the first time this season and left it open whether he would continue playing for another year.
"Let's see – it's still in the planning stages as to what happens next for me," he said.
