Arsenal will want to see Dani Ceballos continue with the Gunners beyond June 30 and the English club is optimistic that Real Madrid, the midfielder's parent team, will give them permission. The Spaniard is on loan at the Emirates but could return to the Spanish giants even before the Premier League season has ended.
Like all the domestic and international competitions in Europe, football in England has been halted by the COVID-19 spread indefinitely. The possibility of losing Ceballos, whose loan deal with Arsenal runs only until June 30, even before the season gets completed has emerged as the games remain suspended.
From the guidelines issued recently by league officials, the season could restart on June 1 and games will be played behind closed doors over the next six weeks. That would mean Arsenal will still require the services of Ceballos beyond June 30 and the club is optimistic that Real will allow him to continue playing, Metro reported.
It is a different case, however, if Arsenal will want to make the spell of Ceballos at the Emirates permanent. There is no option to buy on the current contract with the Spanish playmaker and that's because he has made clear that he intends to return to Madrid.
Ceballos has maintained that making the Real first-team will be a dream come true for him so proving his worth to the Spanish giants remains in the cards.
In the event that Arsenal will make Ceballos a regular part of the team roster, the route to be taken is the negotiation for a new deal. The Sun said Mikel Arteta will need to buy the midfielder from the Los Blancos and take him as a new player if a deal is sealed.
The price tag for the deal will be around £36 million and if Arteta is truly interested, the discussions can start for a summer agreement.
However, the signs coming from the Gunners boss seem cryptic for now. In his recent statements, Arteta said that while he saw Ceballos struggling coming from a hamstring injury, he liked the commitment and attitude displayed by the loan signing.
"I'm really happy with Dani and what he's bringing to the team right now ... It took him a while after his injury to get to the level that he has and that I've seen in the past," said the Spanish boss.
Arteta added that Ceballos was gradually picking up from his sidelining, pointing out that "he's performing much better now and that's why he's playing much more games."
But when asked if Ceballos will be signed to a permanent deal, the Gunners boss said: "We haven't had any discussions about it."
