Madrid, Sep 2 (IANS) Midfielder Dani Ceballos returned to Real Betis in one of the last of the deadline-day deals in La Liga, which was confirmed in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The 30-year-old goes back to the club where he began his career and has agreed to a three-year contract until June 2029 after rescinding his deal with Real Madrid earlier in the summer.
Ceballos made his Betis debut in 2014 and made 98 La Liga appearances for the club before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2017.
He had an up-and-down career at Real Madrid, playing 135 times in La Liga in nine years, in which he rarely seemed to be the first choice, and he was loaned to Arsenal for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Betis’ qualification for this season’s Champions League, with its subsequent boost for the club’s economy, opened the door for Ceballos to return to the club he has always supported, and he and Real Madrid reached an agreement to rescind his contract to allow his return to take place.
Dani Ceballos rescinded his contract with Real Madrid this summer after the two sides agreed to part amicably.
“Real Madrid and Dani Ceballos have reached a mutual agreement to end his period at the club,” informs the Real Madrid website, which adds that Ceballos has made 215 appearances since joining from Betis in 2017. The club confirmed that midfielder Ceballos left the club this summer after the two sides agreed to rescind his contract.
Despite his over 200 games for Real Madrid, Ceballos was rarely a regular starter at the club and spent most of the second half of last season in the stands after falling out with former coach Alvaro Arbeloa.
Incoming coach Jose Mourinho had reportedly told the club he didn’t want Ceballos for next season, while the 29-year-old player is now free to return to Betis, where he began his career, on a free transfer.
–IANS
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