Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have won lead roles on Deutsche Bank's plans to raise €9.8bn (£8.1bn) to bolster its balance sheet and complete its proposed takeover of Deutsche Postbank.

The bank has instructed Cleary to advise on the capital raising, with Frankfurt-based capital markets partner Ward Greenberg and securities partner Hanno Sperlich leading the team.

The capital increase is being conducted as an offering of subscription rights to Deutsche Bank's existing shareholders. The rights are being offered publicly in Germany and the US, and will trade on the Frankfurt and New York stock exchanges.

Deutsche Postbank has instructed Freshfields to advise on the transaction, with the magic circle firm's team understood to be led by Frankfurt-based partner Matthias-Gabriel Kremer.

Deutsche Bank, which is fielding a legal team led by in-house counsel Andreas Meyer on the deal, expects to issue shares at a subscription price of about €32 (£26) a share.

The takeover has been on the cards since 2008, when Deutsche Bank purchased a 29.75% stake in Deutsche Postbank for €2.79bn (£2.22bn), a deal which also saw Freshfields take a lead role, advising Deutsche Post.