‘Unhappy’ Real Madrid star could join Atletico Madrid: report

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos decided to leave the club after not getting enough chances to play and the Spaniard has emerged as an option for rivals Atletico Madrid, reported Cadena SER on Friday.

Ceballos, who joined Real Madrid in 2017 from Real Betis, spent two seasons on loan to Arsenal before returning to the club in 2021. Despite not getting a consistent run of games, the Spaniard proved his worth whenever he got the chance.

His most notable time with the club was in the later part of the 2022/23 season where Ceballos emerged as Los Blancos’ hero and became a key player, his performances in Copa del Rey and La Liga earned him a contract renewal.

However, he is not content with the little time he gets to play under Carlo Ancelotti and will look for options once the season ends as he has only played 503 minutes this season across 21 matches.

The presence of midfielders like Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde and Toni Kroos, who is set to sign a contract extension, has only hampered Ceballos’ chances of playing and the Spaniard wants out.

As per Cadena SER, Ceballos could end up joining Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, who showed great interest in him last summer but his renewal with Los Blancos ended the rumours.

The report further stated that Atletico have already held formal talks with the player’s entourage to find out his plans for next season.

However, Atletico is not the only player eager to sign Ceballos as his former club, Real Betis, is also in the race to get him as the midfielder is rated highly by their head coach Manuel Pellegrini.

While Atletico’s interest is serious, Ceballos’ likely destination seems to be his old club as Pellegrini is eager to have him back.