Real Madrid have slapped a €50 million price tag on Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos, who is currently on loan at Premier League side Arsenal.
Arsenal have learned how much they will have to shell out in order to sign on-loan Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos on a permanent deal. According to a report from Spanish publication AS, Real Madrid will demand a transfer fee €50 million for their midfielder.
Ceballos signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2017, but given the competition at the Santiago Bernabeu, could never establish himself as a regular in the first-team. The midfielder joined Arsenal on loan last summer in search of regular playing minutes ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020.
Ceballos, though, wasn’t able to nail down a spot in the Gunners’ starting XI for most parts of the 2019-20 campaign. His fortunes did improve a bit under Mikel Arteta, but the season was then suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Till date, the 23-year-old has featured 24 times for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring once and assisting twice.
Ceballos will be returning to Real Madrid once his loan deal expires. But the situation there remains the same, as the 23-year-old is unlikely to see a lot of game time under Zinedine Zidane. And with the European Championship postponed to 2021, the midfielder will have to look elsewhere for regular minutes once again.
Real Madrid, though, hold him in high regard and do not want to lose him on the cheap. As a result, they are set to demand a transfer fee of €50 million. Arsenal, if they want to sign the 23-year-old on a permanent basis, will have to match that valuation in the summer transfer window.
The Gunners are light in the midfield department and need strengthening ahead of next season. More so considering the fact that Lucas Torreira has been linked with a return to Italy, while Matteo Guendouzi has had some run-ins with the manager.
Arsenal are already in talks with Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey in order to bolster their midfield unit. Should they land the Ghanaian international, a move for Ceballos would seem unlikely, especially with transfer funds likely to be limited due to the coronavirus crisis and the lack of Champions League football.
But with Ceballos in search of regular game-time ahead of the Euros and Arsenal in need of bodies in the middle of the park, perhaps another loan deal could be worked out. It remains to be seen how this story develops in the coming months.
