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Dani Ceballos returning to Arsenal this summer was far from being a sure thing.

The midfielder was contractually forced to return to Real Madrid, and whilst he won’t let go of a dream to make it with the club, it’s perhaps unlikely he’ll be able to do so whilst Zinedine Zidane is manager.

For whatever reason, the Frenchman doesn’t rate Ceballos highly, yet those in charge at Real Madrid feel differently. They don’t want to let go of the player’s future, worried they could miss out on a genuine star for a time when Zidane isn’t in charge any longer.

That’s why Arsenal were told they couldn’t have a buying option this summer, report Marca. Initially, that put the Gunners off a move, and Ceballos did his traditional flirting with Real Betis, but Marca say Mikel Arteta personally stepped in.

According to the Spanish newspaper, the manager ‘intervened’ to convinced the Gunners’ transfer chiefs to agree to a loan without a purchase option, believing having Ceballos for one more season was better than not having him at all.

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Marca say the midfielder ‘finally sees the sun’ and has become important at both club and national team level. That’s all he wanted to do for now, keen to be a part of Euro 2020(21).

Should Ceballos shine this season in the Premier League and then do the same at the Euros for Spain, it will put Zidane in a difficult situation, that’s if he’s still in charge at Real Madrid.