Chelsea assistant boss Steve Clarke admits he can't rule out players leaving before the August 31 deadline.

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster admits he would be a happy man if the Spanish champions were able to draft in winger Arjen Robben and Michael Ballack, who failed to settle following his high-profile move from Bayern Munich after the World Cup.

Clarke hopes to retain all of the current squad, but accepted: "You can never say never. The window is open until August 31st, some players might want to move on, some might want to stay.

"That's not for me to control, it's above my head if you like, but I do not expect to see any significant changes in the squad before the start of the season."