Real Madrid News
Real Betis have activated operation to sign Real Madrid midfielder
With Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos set to become a free agent at the end of the season, his former club Real Betis have set the wheels in motion to re-sign him in the summer of 2023, reports Diario AS.
Regarded as one of the finest products of the Betis youth setup, Ceballos was snapped up by Real Madrid in the summer of 2017. However, the midfielder struggled for game-time at the Bernabeu owing to the presence of elite stars like Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
Eventually, Ceballos spent two seasons on loan at Arsenal before returning last year, when he was expected to be sold, only for an injury to put an end to those plans.
Having recovered from his injury, the Spaniard played a role, albeit a small one, in Real Madrid’s La Liga and UEFA Champions League double last season. There were rumours about an exit once again this past summer, with Real Betis showing an interest.
However, manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to keep hold of him, with Ceballos also indicating he was happy to stay. While he has not featured regularly enough, the midfielder has done well when given a chance and has earned the trust of the manager.
Despite that, Real Madrid are yet to open talks over a new deal for the Spanish ace. And as things stand, he will become a free agent next year. And, Real Betis are already working on re-signing their former ace as a free agent.
As per the report, Los Verdiblancos have already taken the first steps and made several approaches to explore the possibility of the transfer next summer.
At 26, Ceballos is at a crucial juncture in his career and feels that he needs to be playing regularly. And he has previously hinted that he would be open to returning to Betis if an opportunity arrived.
Currently out with an injury, the midfielder is unlikely to play until next month, which has put his chances of earning a spot in the Spain squad for the FIFA World Cup in jeopardy. As for his future, only time will tell how things pan out.
Real Madrid are blessed to have the services and loyalty of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. The duo have run the show in the Merengues’ midfield for close to a decade and continue to deliver flawless performances to date.
Of the two, however, it is the Croatian who deserves the higher credit. The veteran is now 37 years of age, yet dominates the middle of the park with grace and poise like none other.
Stephen Estuaqio, an FC Porto player and Canada International, spoke earlier this week about why he considered Luka Modric to be a special player and compared him with Kevin de Bruyne to support his stance.
“I played against De Bruyne, but I ran behind Modrić. I couldn’t play against him. It’s crazy how he dictates the game and controls everything. It was a lesson for me,” he said on The 90th minute on Youtube.
With his contract running out next season, Real Madrid are looking to renew his deal by one year come June. Yet, it is difficult to see him continue beyond next season and his imminent departure will mark the end of an era at the club.
Thus, Modric could be an altered role come next season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham set to arrive, the veteran could move into a mentorship role with the occasional appearance in big games.
This season, however, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as one of the backbones of the side and deploy the maestro in the must-win fixtures coming up later this month.
At 37 years of age, Modric has started 16 La Liga games over 24 appearances this season in the competition. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in that process in addition to creating eight big chances with an average of 1.8 key passes per game.
