Juventus are reportedly set to battle Real Madrid in pursuit of Real Betis midfielder Dani Ceballos in the summer.
Spanish publication Don Balon have reported that Juventus are interested in signing Dani Ceballos from Real Betis. The Serie A champions are set to go head-to-head with their Spanish counterparts, Real Madrid to land the Spaniard in the summer transfer window.
Ceballos progressed through the ranks at Real Betis before making the grade in the senior setup in 2014. Since then, he has established himself as one of the most instrumental figures in the club’s first-team squad, while also becoming a full-fledged member of the Spain under-21 team.
2016/17 was arguably the most impressive season in Ceballos’ career as he became one of the first names on the team sheet following the appointment of Victor Sanchez at Betis. In all, he played 30 times in La Liga, making an impression with his incisive passing abilities and clever change of pace.
His stellar performances this season have seen Ceballos being rated as one of the most promising young players in Spain, and he is starting to attract interest from two of the biggest clubs in Europe – Real Madrid and Juventus.
In fact, Real Madrid have been the player’s long-time admirers and were reportedly close to securing his services two seasons ago, before the move collapsed. However, they are set to be back in the market for Ceballos this summer as Zinedine Zidane eyes reinforcements in midfield.
With the likes of Isco and James Rodriguez being linked with a summer exit from the Santiago Bernabeu positions are likely to open up in the Zidane’s squad and he has, thus, set his sights on Ceballos. Los Blancos, though, face competition in the form of Italian champions Juventus in pursuit of the player.
Massimiliano Allegri currently has the likes Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio as his options at the heart of midfield. But, the latter has been troubled by a spate of injuries in the last two seasons, thus, forcing the Juventus boss to delve into the market for a central midfielder.
Hence, Allegri is now eyeing Ceballos for a move in the summer transfer window. The 20-year-old aims to make Julen Lopetegui’s squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and is, thus, keen to make a move to a bigger club in the summer.
Ceballos has a release clause of €15 million in his contract with Betis, a figure that is unlikely to deter either Juventus or Real Madrid in making a move for him in the summer. It now remains to be seen if he indeed ends up leaving Betis for greener pastures.