A Real Madrid star has decided to leave the club and could join its bitter rivals Atletico Madrid according to Cadena SER, which cited anonymous sources.
Dani Ceballos has made 21 appearances for Carlo Ancelotti thus far this season. And though that statistic might not seem so bad at face value, those outings are made up of just four starts and have seen him accumulate a relatively low 504 minutes.
The arrivals of Jude Bellingham and Brahim Diaz to the Bernabeu, or having to compete with the likes of Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga for more retreated positions in the center of the park, have complicated matters for Ceballos.
He has primarily been reduced to short cameos often at the end of the matches, or only trusted to run out from the get go against minnows such as Arandina in the Copa del Rey at the turn of the year.
Despite signing a contract extension until mid-2027 last summer, Ceballos has decided to move on while aware that his peak is slipping out of his hands.
The 27-year-old prioritises playing more elsewhere than sitting on the bench at arguably the world’s biggest club, and while boyhood outfit Real Betis is one option for a prodigal son return, Cadena SER places him at Los Blancos’ crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.
“Madrid know it, Ceballos knows it, Atleti know it, Betis know it and now you know it,” said presenter Pacojo Delgado, during a broadcast on the popular Spanish radio station.
How Ceballos will leave the fold is still unknown. It could be through a sale that grants a percentage of income in a future transfer if Ceballos is bought by someone else, or a loan without or without an option to buy.
What is for certain is that Ceballos is way down the pecking order under Ancelotti as things stand, as part of a major fall from grace compared to last term when he made 46 appearances in all competitions.
His ongoing predicament gives him little to no chance of making Spain’s squad for the European Championships in Germany this summer, but he could reappear in the international picture with strong, regular football that is difficult to find with his current employers.