"That's the sort we need, someone of that quality," said Schuster of his fellow German in comments that suggest Fabio Capello's replacement is not entirely satisfied with his existing attacking midfielder, Guti.

While Schuster acknowledges that stars like Chelsea's Ballack "are all under contract with big teams" he is hoping to finalise the move of Ballack's teammate Arjen Robben next week, according to Marca on Saturday.

The newspaper also identified Marseille's young midfield star Samir Nasri as another target for Real ahead of the upcoming season.

Schuster, who was appointed manager to replace Capello after the Italian's sacking, got his reign at Real off to a good start with a 2-0 friendly win over English Championship side Stoke city on Friday.