Midfielder suffers transfer blow in wake of Real Madrid exit | OneFootball

Earlier in the summer, Real Madrid reached a mutual contract agreement with midfielder Dani Ceballos. The 29-year-old barely featured during the second half of last season after falling out with Alvaro Arbeloa, and after Jose Mourinho also made it clear that he’s not in his plans, the decision was made for him to leave with immediate effect.

Since then, the search for a new club has been ongoing for Ceballos. Staying in La Liga has looked likely given that interest has been shown in his services by Atletico Madrid and Real Betis, although clubs in Europe have also been keeping tabs on his situation – one of them being Dutch giants Ajax.

Prior to leaving Real Madrid, Ajax were linked with a move for Ceballos, with new head coach Michel Sanchez a fan of the midfielder. However, Marca have now reported that their interest has come to an end after failing to secure an agreement on personal terms.

According to the report, Ceballos always had doubts about making the move to Amsterdam. There was a strong desire from Ajax to sign him, but after weeks of negotiations, the decision has been made to move on to other targets.

Ceballos expected to return home in coming weeks

The reason for Ceballos’ unwillingness to move to Ajax is due to his strong desire to return to Betis, his boyhood club. Real Madrid signed him from the Andalusians nine years ago, and over the last 24 months, numerous reports have emerged regarding his plans to eventually end up back at Los Verdiblancos when his Los Blancos spell came to an end.

Betis are working on Ceballos’ signing, although they have yet to reach an agreement on personal terms themselves. For now, they are not prioritising a deal for the midfielder, although it would be no surprise if he ended up at La Cartuja in the coming weeks.