Michael Ballack could be a Chelsea player before the start of the World Cup this summer after his agents confirmed that the Stamford Bridge club are the only side he is having talks with.
The 29-year-old Bayern Munich captain is out of contract in May and agent Michael Becker told BBC Sport Online: "The transfer window opens in May and the World Cup is coming up. I think there is definitely something happening before the World Cup.
"There is interest from other clubs but Chelsea are the only club we are talking to at the moment. Right now we are exclusively talking to Chelsea."
Ballack's expected arrival has prompted fears Frank Lampard could be set for a move to Barcelona. The Spanish giants, who knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League, have been long-time admirers of the England midfielder.
But Blues boss Jose Mourinho believes Ballack and Lampard could form a 'dream' partnership in a new-look Chelsea midfield.
Like Lampard, Ballack is a prolific scorer from midfield. He has hit 29 goals in 62 internationals and 13 goals for Bayern Munich so far this season. Lampard has been even more effective, scoring 18 goals for Chelsea this season and two for England.
Mourinho told German newspaper Bild: "For me Ballack is one of the best players in the world. He's very intelligent, tactically very strong and he scores a lot of goals.
"For me in Europe there's only Frank Lampard who plays at that level. The two would form a dream pair. They're the two best players in the world in their category. You only get problems if you partner bad players with one another, not two very good players.
"Ballack is a very intelligent player and tactically very strong. It does not matter what system we play, he would fit in perfectly."
