Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos attracting interest from Premier League club – Reports

Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos has allegedly emerged as a surprise transfer target for Premier League side Aston Villa this summer.

Ceballos, 26, has cemented himself as a vital squad member for Los Blancos over the last term. He made the most of his opportunities under Carlo Ancelotti, guiding his current club to a total of three trophies.

A right-footed advanced playmaker, the Spaniard scored one goal and laid out nine assists in 1939 first-team minutes spread across 46 overall appearances.

Owing to his fine return on a rotational basis, he was offered a new four-year contract at the end of June this year.

However, according to Defensa Central, Aston Villa have earmarked Ceballos as a top target despite the player's latest renewal at Santiago Bernabeu. They are keen to offer a sum between £13 million and £17 million to acquire the ex-Arsenal star's signature this summer.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, are said to be not averse to cashing in on the Real Betis academy product in the ongoing summer transfer window. They are currently monitoring the situation and would like to hold talks with Unai Emery's outfit before arriving at a decision.

Ceballos, who joined Real Madrid from Betis for around £15 million in 2017, could prove to be a fine signing for the Villans. He would provide competition to the likes of Youri Tielemans, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn in Emery's preferred 4-2-3-1 system at Villa Park.

Furthermore, Ceballos could also face little to no trouble settling in to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. He spent two entire seasons on loan at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021, netting two goals and providing five assists in 77 overall games in the process.

So far, Ceballos has represented Real Madrid in 160 overall matches.

Should Dani Ceballos stay at Real Madrid?

After starting just two games and racking up just 338 minutes of action in the 2021-22 season, Dani Ceballos earned Carlo Ancelotti's trust with reliable performances last term. However, he is still considered to be nothing more than a squad member at Santiago Bernabeu.

As of now, the Spaniard is considered to be below Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga in his club's pecking order. Should he stay, he would struggle to get considerable amount of minutes under his belt next campaign.

However, if he does shine for Real Madrid in the future, he could cement his berth at the centre of the park for the 2024-25 season. He could act as a replacement for either Modric or Kroos, considering both their contracts are set to run out in 2024.