Dani Ceballos Arsenal future in doubt due to coronavirus delay

Jo Harrison
Dani Ceballos TEAMtalk

Arsenal star Dani Ceballos admits he faces an uncertain future due to his loan contract at the Emirates expiring at the end of June.

The midfielder was due to return to Real Madrid this summer but his plans have been thrown into the air, with the Premier League season extended indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Reports have suggested that the football season will be played out behind closed doors over a four to six week period starting in July.

That would create an issue with some players’ contracts expiring on June 30 and Ceballos falls into that bracket.

Discussing the situation in an interview with El Chiringuito, the 23-year-old said: “I finish my contract on June 30. I would have to play for Arsenal, I don’t know how [it would work].

“The relationship of the future would be irresponsible for me to speak about.

“The most important thing will be to be important for my new team. I came to Arsenal to be important and in less than a month it has disappeared [because of coronavirus].”

Ceballos has made 27 appearances for the Gunners since his move, scoring just a single goal.

 

However, he had begun to impress new boss Mikel Arteta, starting in Arsenal’s last three Premier League games before the halt in play.

They took maximum points in that run and moved up to ninth spot, just a point behind local rivals Tottenham and eight back from Chelsea in fourth.

Sevilla or Valencia could be the destination for Ceballos when the picture becomes clearer, although the attacking midfielder has expressed Real Betis as his preferred option.

The 23-year-old joined Sevilla’s local rival Betis in 2011 before his big move to Real Madrid in 2017.

“I knew about Valencia’s interest in having my services. There was also talk of Sevilla and Betis,” said Ceballos.

“When they connect you with these teams it is for a reason. I am very Betis and it would be difficult for me to play for Sevilla.

“I would only play for Betis. It is my team and the one that gave me the opportunity to be a footballer. I did not get to speak with [Julen] Lopetegui to sign for Sevilla.”