After yet another season where he has barely played regularly, Dani Ceballos’ time at Real Madrid is surely coming to an end.
The 29-year-old has a contract with the club until 2027, meaning he will be entering the final year of his deal this summer. It would present Real Madrid with the final chance of cashing in on him instead of losing him for free a year later.
In fact, Ceballos might have already played his last game for Real Madrid. After all, he was left out of the squad for tonight’s game against Real Betis and reports claim that Alvaro Arbeloa is unlikely to call him up again this season after an alleged run-in between the pair.
Now, according to AS, Real Madrid are asking for a fee of around €15 million for Ceballos heading into the summer transfer window.
It would be close to the €16.5 million figure Real Madrid paid to sign the midfielder from Real Betis all the way back in 2017, when Zinedine Zidane saw the then-promising youngster as a future long-term successor to Luka Modric.
Things have never worked out for Ceballos at Real Madrid, though. After not playing much in his first two years at the club, the Spaniard spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal.
Time for goodbye. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Upon returning, the 29-year-old midfielder was bogged down by regular injury and fitness problems that hindered his progress.
Ceballos’ situation has taken a turn for the worse this term, especially since Arbeloa took over the reins, as he has only played five matches under the current manager.
Given the situation as well his contract status, both player and club agree that he should depart this summer, even though he still has a year left on his deal. And a fee of €15 million is what Real Madrid are seeking for his sale.
Throughout these years, his name has consistently been linked with a return to his former club Real Betis. However, Los Verdiblancos, once close to re-signing him on several occasions, are no longer an option as per the report.
Indeed, the La Liga club does not intend to pay the €15 million fee that Real Madrid are asking, ruling them out of contention.
Meanwhile, Ceballos is attracting interest from Dutch giants AFC Ajax, driven by their new sporting director Jordi Cruyff.
It remains to be seen whether that materialises into something substantial. But what is clear is that both parties have accepted that Ceballos’ time at Real Madrid has come to an end.