Mario Husillos can delight Manuel Pellegrini this summer when our transfer guru hits the open market, as the Mirror understand Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos could be available for around £18million.
The boss is said to be a big fan of the Spain international, and Husillos is too, with our Director of Football beleiving Ceballos would fit in well with what they are trying to build in East London.
Los Blancos, however, are thought to prefer that their 22-year-old only leaves the Santiago Bernabeu on loan when the window opens, although intermediaries have made it clear that a permanent arrangement can be struck at the right price.
The European giant’s stance is wavering as they need to raise vital funds themselves once the season draws to a close, as President Florentino Perez and manager Zinedine Zidane are planning a vast spending spree to fire the 13-time Champions League winners back up the La Liga table.
In the Spanish top-flight this term, Ceballos has found minutes hard to come by, and has started just 35% of their league fixtures to date. The cups have not fared much better for the £20,000-a-week star, either, with 25% of Madrid’s Champions League starting XI’s including the Real Betis product and 50% in their Copa del Ray.
Altogether, his outings have combined for 1,861 minutes on the field across all competitions, in which he has scored three goals and assisted twice.
This is not the first time we have been linked with a move for Ceballos, either, with the Mirror reciting that we showed an interest in the 22-year-old in the winter, but opted against making a move.
