Hansa are in talks with the 34-year-old's current club, Serb champions Red Star Belgrade, about a transfer for a modest fee of up to 200,000 euros (270,000 dollars).

"When a player of this calibre is on the market, you have to be interested and I'm sure that he would adapt well to our new project, both on a sporting and human level," Hansa coach Frank Pagelsdorf told Bild newspaper.

The player's agent Falk Schade said: "Ailton wants to play in Germany again and he would be the ideal solution for Rostock."

Ailton scored 105 goals in 211 matches in the Bundesliga, mainly for Werder Bremen and Schalke 04.