Report: Arsenal, Tottenham, Milan All Eye Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos
Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are among five clubs allegedly ready to offer young Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos an escape route from Real Madrid in January after struggling to establish himself at the Bernabeu following a high profile summer arrival.
AC Milan, Roma and Ceballos' former club Real Betis are the other prospective suitors identified in the report by Spanish media outlet Diario Gol.
The 21-year-old, billed as one of the hottest home-grown talents in La Liga last season, joined Real for around €18m in July and signed a long-term six-year contract with the club.
Yet Diario Gol claim that Ceballos was never really wanted by coach Zinedine Zidane and arrived at the insistence of president Florentino Perez in an attempt to add a stronger Spanish element to the Real squad this season.
Whether that holds any truth, what cannot be disputed is the fact that the Spain Under-21 international has barely featured for Real this season. He has played just over 400 minutes in all competitions, featuring only five times in La Liga - of those five, just two have been starts.
That has led to speculation that Ceballos could be on the move as soon as next month.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham are claimed to have already made enquiries with a view to a January approach, as have Serie A pair Milan and Roma. It is suggested that the most agreeable option for the player himself would be to return to Betis.
