Why one Real Madrid star made a personal phone call to Marseille boss De Zerbi | OneFootball

A member of the midfield ranks at La Liga giants Real Madrid recently made direct contact with the manager of the club’s next opponents.

That’s according to Marca, who point towards Dani Ceballos as the player in question.

Midfielder Ceballos was of course widely expected to join Marseille this past summer.

As the transfer deadline approached, widespread confirmation was forthcoming that the Spaniard was on the verge of penning terms with the French outfit.

Just when it appeared as though the transfer was a sure thing, however, Ceballos himself pulled the plug.

And the former Arsenal man was evidently left feeling in some way guilty with his call.

This comes amid confirmation on the part of Marca that Ceballos made direct contact with Roberto De Zerbi, to apologise and thank the Italian for his interest.

In a bizarre twist, Ceballos is now expected to play his part on Tuesday night, when Real Madrid kick their Champions League campaign into gear in a meeting with none other than Marseille.

Conor Laird – GSFN