Dani Ceballos rejected Sevilla talks: ‘In Seville I could only play for Betis’

Dani Ceballos has revealed Valencia and Sevilla wanted to sign him in January, but he couldn’t join the latter because of his Real Betis connections.

The dynamic central midfielder progressed through the Betis youth stem before starring in the first-team and moving on, in somewhat unpopular fashion, to Real Madrid in the summer of 2017 after his €16m release clause was activated.

However, earlier this week Seville-based outlet Estadio Deportivo reported that the paths of Ceballos and Betis appear ‘destined to cross’ once more, with a possible move this summer on the cards.

The midfielder is said to want more first-team football ahead of next summer’s European Championships, with a fear that he has fallen out of contention for the Spain squad, which was at the heart of reports linking him with a January exit from North London.

“Yes there was interest, but I did not speak with (Sevilla Coach Julen) Lopetegui,” Ceballos, currently on a season-long deal at Arsenal, said on El Chiringuito. “In Seville I could only play for Betis.

“I knew about Valencia’s interest too, but at Arsenal my situation was changing, I was training again and I knew (Mikel) Arteta would give me a chance.

“I knew that would give me a great chance of feeling important and going to the Euros, even though before there was anxiety as I was not playing.”

A report in Gols Media said that Ceballos had emerged as a priority signing for Valencia this summer, with a return to Spanish football appearing to be increasingly likely.

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