Dani Ceballos has already agreed to leave Real Madrid in January, according to the latest reports.
The midfielder returned to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer following two years on loan with Arsenal.
But he returned with a serious ankle injury following the Olympics which has seen him miss the entirety of pre-season.
And following the arrival of Eduardo Camavinga, and indeed the presence of undroppables like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, Ceballos knows his opportunities will be extremely limited in the Spanish capital.
It’s for that reason why he looks set to return to Real Betis, the club where he graduated as a senior professional before joining Real Madrid in 2017 for around €18million.
According to Defensa Central, a deal has already been agreed to take Ceballos back to Real Betis, initially on a loan deal but with an obligatory option to buy of between €20million and €25million included.
Betis were understood to have pushed for a Ceballos loan until the very last moments of the recently closes summer window, but salary cap issues meant they could not get the deal done.
These reports now claim the Andalusian side have agreed to sign Ceballos in January instead, with an apparent plan to ensure their salary cap issue is cleared up by then.
