Arteta says Ceballos wants to return to Arsenal, Spanish media say he wants move to Betis
Mikel Arteta has said that Dani Ceballos wants to return to Arsenal on a season long loan in his press conference ahead of the Community Shield on Saturday. According to Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo, the Spaniard has communicated to Real Madrid that he wants to sign for Real Betis, his boyhood club.
On the subject of Ceballos’ future, Mikel Arteta said:
“Well, we have some talks and Dani knows really well what I think about him. He was pretty clear with me as well that his intention was to remain with us but obviously Real Madrid is involved and I don’t know yet what they want to do with the player. But he’s a player that we are interested in because we really saw, in the last few months of the season, what he is capable of bringing to us.”
Ceballos spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Arsenal. He was in and out of the team earlier in the season due to poor form and injuries. The Spanish midfielder started Arsenal’s first Premier League game after the winter break in February and has held on to his place in the team ever since. He was one of Arsenal’s standout players in the closing stages of the season and formed an effective midfield pivot with Granit Xhaka. If he were to return to the Emirates, he would be one of the first names on Arteta’s team sheet.
Arsenal are currently in talks with Real Madrid to extend the 24 year old’s stay in North London but the two clubs are not close to an agreement. The North London club are determined to strike a deal with Madrid.
Reports in Spain contradict what Arteta is saying and suggest the Spaniard wants to return to his former club, Real Betis, this summer. Betis will have to sell some of their players to be able to afford Ceballos’ wages but remain interested in signing the player.
What is abundantly clear is that Ceballos does not expect to get regular game time at Real Madrid next season and is keen on moving to a club where he will be more involved. His priority is to play week in week out and give himself the best chance of being a part of Spain’s squad for next year’s European Championship.
