Bayer Leverkusen star Michael Ballack is set to join former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai Shenhua.

The 35-year-old midfielder is out of contract in the summer and Bayer Leverkusen are prepared to negotiate a fee with the mega-rich Chinese club.

Anelka ended a three-year stint with Chelsea earlier this month after agreeing to join Shenhua in a two-year deal worth a staggering £175,000-a-week.

And Ballack could soon link up with his former team-mate despite a move to the MLS being mooted in the summer.