Real Madrid are reportedly unwilling to let Dani Ceballos go for anything under €15 million ($17.4 million) this summer as the midfielder pushes to leave the Spanish capital.
Barring his increased minutes last season amid Los Blancos’ multiple injury crises, Ceballos has never been a preferred starter at Real Madrid. Since his arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2017, the Spaniard was always the fourth or fifth option in the midfield no matter what manager was in charge.
Ceballos’s situation has not changed since the arrival of Xabi Alonso. With Fede Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Güler all above him in the team’s pecking order, the former Arsenal man just might be heading toward an exit this summer.
Real Madrid are open to hearing offers for Ceballos in the range of €15 million ($17.4 million), according to AS. The club initially was asking for €20 million ($23.2 million), but has since lowered its price for the outcast midfielder.
Although Real Madrid have not openly put Ceballos up for sale, the club is interested in “appealing” offers. After all, cashing in on the midfielder, who is under contract until 2027, would serve Los Blancos well after spending €163 million ($188.7 million) on transfers this summer.
From Ceballos’s point of view, the 28-year-old reportedly knows he has no “real chance” of breaking into Alonso’s XI, especially after he only logged 70 minutes at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Following the tournament, Ceballos went public with his wishes and teased a possible move back to Real Betis, where he began his career: “Betis is my home and it will always be. I hope the door is always open.”
The ideal scenario for Ceballos would be to follow a similar path as Isco, who was pushed out of Real Madrid in 2022 and now has seen his career revitalized at Real Betis.
Still, until Real Betis or any other club come to the table with an offer matching the Spanish giants’ demands, Ceballos will remain a Real Madrid player.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Set Ambitious ‘Asking Price’ for Wantaway Midfielder.