London giants Crystal Palace are reportedly keen on signing Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid in an €18 million deal in the summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, Dani Ceballos is the subject of interest from South London outfit Crystal Palace over a move in the summer transfer window. The Eagles are prepared to pay around €18 million to prise the Spanish midfielder away from Real Madrid.
Dani Ceballos joined Real Madrid from Real Betis in July 2017 and has since endured a difficult spell at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Spaniard was initially unable to establish a foothold in the first-team setup when Zinedine Zidane was in charge before Los Blancos sent him out on loan to Arsenal in July 2019.
After a largely fruitful two-year stint with the Gunners, Ceballos returned to Real Madrid last summer with renewed hope of establishing himself as a regular for the Merengues. But the 25-year-old was unfortunate to pick up a long-term ankle injury that forced him to miss the first half of the season.
Since returning, Ceballos has again been relegated to the fringes of the first team, and he has managed only 67 minutes of game-time thus far this term. With his Real Madrid stint headed nowhere, Ceballos might need to seek a summer exit from the Bernabeu. And Crystal Palace could offer him an escape route from his frustrations at Real Madrid.
The South London outfit will need to delve into the transfer market for a midfielder in the summer transfer window as Conor Gallagher will return to Chelsea after his loan stint ends. With Crystal Palace having little to no chance of snapping up the English midfielder on a permanent deal, they will need to seek a replacement.
Ceballos has thus emerged as a viable target for Crystal Palace, with Patrick Vieira an admirer of the Real Madrid midfielder’s talents. And the Eagles are prepared to shell out around €18 million to prise the 25-year-old away from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.
But it is unclear if Ceballos will be convinced by a move to London, considering La Liga giants Real Betis and Villarreal have recently been linked with him. What does remain clear is that the Spanish international will need to leave Real Madrid in the summer transfer window to resurrect his career and have a chance of making it to the national squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.