BERLIN (AFP) - German legend Franz Beckenbauer revealed Wednesday Bayern Munich are chasing Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart to fill the void left by Michael Ballack's departure to Chelsea a year ago.

The Dutchman is seen by Bayern president Beckenbauer as the ideal replacement for Ballack, who left Bayern in May 2006, and could give the German giants a harder edge in midfield.

"Van der Vaart would suit us perfectly," said Beckenbauer, in his weekly column in the magazine Sport-Bild.

"He is the sort of player who can bring us the creativity which we are lacking at the moment."

Bayern were dumped out of the Champions League by AC Milan at the quarter-final stage last week, and coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has singled out Van der Vaart as a potential key piece in the Bayern midfield.

"We need creators in our squad and Van der Vaart would also bring a tougher edge to our defence," said Hitzfeld, whose side are fourth in the Bundesliga.

Having arrived in Hamburg from Dutch giants Ajax in 2005, Van der Vaart, 24, is under contract until 2010. He helped Hamburg finish third in last season's Bundesliga and has Ballack's strong defensive ability and attacking flair.

The player's Danish agent Soeren Lerby, a former Bayern player and close friend of Munich's manager Uli Hoeness, said: "Rafael is enjoying his time in Hamburg, but he also wants to play to earn champion titles."

Hitzfeld has also re-expressed his interest in Werder Bremen striker Miroslav Klose, who was the top scorer at the 2006 World Cup and who is under contract with Bremen until 2008.

"We are always interested in good German players, that's why we are following the Klose case," added Hitzfeld.

Klose, 28, is also being courted by Italian giants Juventus.