The Sky Blues have agreed to enter a sister club relationship with the leading Chinese Super League side with the signing of a Letter of Intent.

The partnership will be formalised during the coming weeks with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

It will provide for matches to be staged in Shanghai and Sydney, exchanges of techniques and ideas in the areas of coaching, sports medicine and sports science, as well player development through proposed exchanges of players.

Additionally, it is proposed that both clubs will promote sales of each other’s merchandise.

Majority owner and Chairman of Shanghai Shenhua, Zhu Jun, said his club was pleased to be able to formalise a relationship with the only Hyundai A-League club in Australia’s largest city and believed that the partnership would provide mutual benefits, both in football terms and commercially.

Sydney FC Chairman, Andrew Kemeny, said that the partnership with Shanghai Shenhua was the first step in establishing the brand of Sydney FC within Asia and had the potential to provide his club with benefits in a number of areas.

Shanghai Shenhua recently finished as runners-up in the 2008 Chinese Super League, drawing their final match, when victory would have sealed their first championship in the revamped competition.