Real Madrid are expected to keep hold of Dani Ceballos for this season, despite being in the final year of his contract and having immense competition for a midfield place.
Real coach Carlo Ancelotti still has age-less trio Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro at his disposal, supplemented by Eduardo Camavinga and €100m summer signing Aurelien Tchouameni.
Yet Ceballos, who previously spent two years on loan with Arsenal until 2021, has come off the bench in both the UEFA Super Cup triumph and Real’s La Liga opener against Almeria.
AS has reported that Ancelotti is ‘delighted with the evolution and commitment’ of the player, having seemingly taken on board what was asked of him during pre-season to offer more than he previously did for the club under the management of Zinedine Zidane.
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Ancelotti is also said to have told Ceballos that more minutes will come his way if he continues to work as he has done so far. The opportunity to be a first alternative to Modric, Kroos and Casemiro is there and Real could even consider offering him a new contract in light of that.
Ceballos’ status in the current squad would only be cemented further should Marco Asensio leave before the transfer window closes in two weeks.
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