Real Madrid appear too have decided that they will not make any decisions until the summer. Carlo Ancelotti’s future remains in the air with his fate potentially decided on their performance in cup competitions. While some of those players have a clear path ahead, Los Blancos also have seven players out of contract in the summer. It appears they will only send out offers after their season has been settled.
One of those players is Dani Ceballos. The 26-year-old midfielder was a bit-part player until recently at the Santiago Bernabeu. Injuries and rotations gave him a run in the side in early 2023 though, re-establishing him as a useful option for Ancelotti. While his game time has fallen off again, his reputation is restored.
Ceballos has not heard back about a deal though. It is thought that he will prioritise remaining at Real Madrid, but with a number of moving parts arouund him, their response is likely to come towards or after the end of the season.
In the meantime, other sides are starting to make him aware of their interest. Rivals Atletico Madrid recently approached Ceballos, but were turned down. Meanwhile 90min say that Julen Lopetegui wants to bring Ceballos to Wolves on a free, in a report carried by Sport. The two crossed paths when Lopetegui coached Los Blancos in 2018.
Yet Ceballos is right to wait things out. With a number of major sides looking to cut costs currently, plenty of Europe’s elite are int the market for cost-effective signings, beyond rivals Atletico and Barcelona.
His stock is unlikely to fall until mid-July or August, when teams start to have their squads settled and decisions made on certain positions. Thus he has a grace period in which to decide his future should he be unable to remain at the Bernabeu.
If Ceballos can make his way in to Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad again, as seems likely given he was one of the better performers in March, it will only further serve to convince teams that he is a top level midfielder.
None of the top sides in Germany or Italy are likely to spend big this summer outside of potentially Bayern Munich, while the top six in England are all undergoing periods of flux with the exception of perhaps Arsenal and Manchester City. It follows he should not be short of options one way or another.
Perhaps Wolves can offer him a starring role under Lopetegui, but given Ceballos’ quality, that option is unlikely to expire for a while either.
