Dani Ceballos has made it clear he will not be continuing at Arsenal next season and wishes to return to Spain when his loan deal comes to an end.
Ceballos has been on loan at Arsenal from Real Madrid for the past two seasons, regularly featuring under both Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.
The deal has never turned into a permanent one, though, and looks unlikely to do so either, with his current loan deal expiring in the summer and Arsenal seemingly uninterested in a move.
That is a sentiment shared by Ceballos, according to El Confidencial, who say the midfielder is ‘increasingly clear’ that he will not be in England next season.
He wants to return to La Liga, and his preference is to leave Real Madrid on a permanent basis in search of regular playing time, which will not be on offer at the Bernabeu.
That’s because Zinedine Zidane is set to stay at the club, and his relationship with Ceballos is ‘distant’ after refusing to give the midfielder a chance.
Indeed, Ceballos’ arrival became a ‘matter of discussion’ between the club’s general director José Ángel Sánchez and the French coach, with the player paying the price and being left on the bench.
He’s not keen to repeat that, so wants a move away when he returns from his loan spell with Arsenal.
Real Betis have already made an offer, and he’d be very keen on a return to his former club, while Sevilla, Valencia and Real Sociedad have all been interested at some point.
Either way, Real Madrid will try to ‘cash in’ on Ceballos when he returns.
