ARSENAL

Arsenal in advanced talks with 23-year-old La Liga midfielder

BY JONAS HERTZ · JULY 16, 2020

The London giants hopes of signing Dani Ceballos permanently have been boosted with the Los Blancos prepared to cash-in on the on-loan playmaker this summer, according to reports in Spain.

Spain international endured a difficult time at Arsenal when Mikel Arteta first took over at the London club, with his compatriot’s arrival coinciding with a severe injury, and he had to wait until February to play his first game.

Since then, though, Dani has started the last 10 PL games and has become one of the first names on Mikel’s team sheets, delivering a number of excellent displays. Gunners have been very happy with the partnership Ceballos has developed alongside Granit Xhaka and would like to turn the midfielder’s loan into a permanent deal.

However, Gunners did not negotiate a purchase option when they loaned the 23-year-old midfielder last summer and it has been suggested that Zizou could welcome the playmaker back into his squad for next campaign particularly if transfer funds are limited due to the covid-19 crisis.

Now La Liga giants are willing to let the Spanish midfielder leave if they receive both the green light from Zidane and a significant sum. Real want to raise significant funds so they can invest in the squad this summer, with Achraf Akimi already sold to Inter Milan and Dani and centre-back Jesus Vallejo the next two players likely to be offloaded.

Dani remains highly rated by those at Santiago Bernabeu and has other suitors beyond Gunners, with both Valencia and Real Betis reaching out to his camp. The Los Blancos know they have a strong bargaining position and will not let him leave on the cheap, setting an asking price of €25m.

Tags: Dani Ceballos