The 29-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder will be a free agent in the summer is being strongly linked with a move to Chelsea, although Real Madrid are also believed to be interested.

But Ballack has made it clear that he wants to play in England, where he believes the league is tailor-made for his style.

"For me it is the Premiership rather than La Liga," Ballack told the Daily Express. "I am a very physical player and in England the pace is fast and the tackles are hard.

"If you look at the players that have become legends in England, like Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane, I see a lot of myself in players like that."

Chelsea, bankrolled by billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich, are reportedly ready to make the 29-year-old Ballack the world's highest-paid player with a weekly salary of 121,000 pounds (177,600 euros, 210,900 dollars).

Ballack turned down a four-year contract at Bayern in January and the German champions have targeted Barcelona's Dutch international Mark van Bommel as a replacement.