Juventus move ahead of Arsenal in race to sign Real Madrid midfielder

Italian giants Juventus have reportedly entered the race to sign Dani Ceballos when the transfer window reopens and are at the front of the queue to sign him for one key reason, according to the Daily Mail.

The attacking midfielder has spent the 2019/20 season on loan with Arsenal but has struggled to nail down a regular spot in the starting eleven and has made just 14 Premier League appearances.

However, it is believed that the Gunners are keen to keep the 23-year-old at the Emirates for at least another year and were hopeful of negotiating a deal with Real Madrid, but may be beaten to his signature after Juventus signaled that they are willing to pay the reported asking price.

‘Los Blancos’, who signed Ceballos from Real Betis for £9million in the summer of 2017, are believed to be hoping to receive almost four times that figure if they are to sell him on a permanent basis and the report, which cites a story on Mundo Deportivo, states that Juventus are the only side willing to splurge such a fee.

The Serie A club are also hopeful that their offer of £4.4million per year in wages will be enough to convince the Spaniard to join them, despite his preferred destination being La Liga.

Ceballos made a name for himself in his homeland’s top league, impressing for Betis as a teenager before earning his move to Madrid. Therefore, he may see a return to La Liga as an opportunity to get his career back on track after an underwhelming year in North London.

The news means that Arsenal may be forced to move on to other transfer targets if they are unable to convince Ceballos to stay with them.

Mikel Arteta, who will be heading into his first full season as boss, has made no secret of the fact that he is looking to make a number of changes to his squad and bring in some real quality ahead of next term.

 

Philippe Coutinho is one rumoured option for the Spaniard, while Jesse Lingard and Cesar Gelaber, also of Real Madrid, have also been linked.

Elsewhere, Arsenal’s pursuit of Chris Smalling has received a boost after a transfer rival learned they may not be able to afford the defender.