Real Madrid have reportedly struck a deal with Real Betis for the sale of midfielder Dani Ceballos in a deal worth €15 million plus €3 million in add-ons.
According to a report from Defensa Central, Dani Ceballos is set to leave Real Madrid for boyhood club Real Betis in the summer transfer window in a deal worth around €15 million.
Ceballos arrived at Real Madrid from Real Betis five years ago in 2017 but has never got going at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having struggled for game-time in his first couple of seasons at the club, the Spaniard left Los Blancos to join Arsenal on loan in 2019. The midfielder spent two years with the Gunners but failed to make much of an impact in England either.
Back at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer, Ceballos was expected to leave Real Madrid, but an injury derailed hopes of an exit. The 25-year-old has recently recovered completely and gotten some minutes under his belt but does not have a long-term future with the La Liga leaders.
While Ceballos has been linked with several teams across Europe, a move to his former club, Real Betis, always seemed the likeliest step for the Spaniard. Recent reports even claimed that the 25-year-old had already reached an agreement over personal terms with Los Verdiblancos.
Now, the report from Defensa Central adds that a deal is one step closer to completion, with both clubs also ironing out the details of the transfer. As per the report, Real Betis will be shelling out a transfer fee of around €15 million to bring back their former midfield prospect to Estadio Benito Villamarin. In addition to that, Manuel Pellegrini’s men will pay an additional €3 million in performance-related bonuses.
The 25-year-old has made just 63 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring five goals and chalking up three assists. He has featured only seven times across all competitions in the ongoing campaign, totalling up to just 75 minutes of on-field action.
Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Casemiro and Federico Valverde are all ahead of him in the pecking order. And with Los Blancos pushing to sign another midfielder in the summer, Ceballos would be pushed further lower on the rungs. So, an exit in the summer is the best possible outcome for the Spaniard.
Real Madrid, too, can invest the proceeds from his sales into signing new players while they also free up space on their wage bill, which will be crucial considering their ambitions of signing both Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe this summer.