Dani Ceballos leaves Madrid: all the details
As previously reported, the footballer has cut ties with the club after giving up the final year of his contract.
Dani Ceballos is now history at Real Madrid. The club confirmed on Friday that it has cut ties with the player, as AS reported, after the midfielder agreed to give up the final year of his contract. The agreement, reached by both parties a week ago, allows the Utrera native to sign for any club on a free transfer while relieving Real Madrid of his wages.
Real Betis has long wanted him back and Ceballos has repeatedly signalled openness to a return. The club has been studying ways to bring him in for days, but is still trying to find a financially viable structure given the player’s demands after he has given up nearly $5.4 million in salary.
Ceballos thus brings to an end a nine-year spell at Real Madrid. The midfielder from Utrera joined the club in the summer of 2017 for around $17.3 million and during that time collected an impressive trophy haul: three Champions Leagues (2018, 2022 and 2024), two LaLiga titles (2022 and 2024), one Copa del Rey (2023), three Club World Cups (2017, 2018 and 2022), one Intercontinental Cup (2024), two UEFA Super Cups (2022 and 2024) and three Spanish Super Cups (2018, 2022 and 2024).
Despite his honours, Ceballos’s time at Real Madrid was never as individually prominent as might have been expected for a player who arrived at the Bernabéu as the U21 European Championship MVP. He was never an essential figure for any of his managers. A lack of playing time even led to two loan spells at Arsenal between 2019 and 2021. He returned from London more mature and, at times, played an important role under Carlo Ancelotti in his second spell in charge, but he never established himself as an undisputed starter.
Those strong spells earned him a contract renewal four seasons ago, when several signs suggested he could leave in the summer of 2023. That renewal was a disappointment for Betis, who were already planning a return move and saw his decision as a setback.
Over the past year, Ceballos has received offers from foreign clubs that reached agreements both with him and with Real Madrid. However, both Marseille last summer and Ajax a few months ago were ultimately turned down by the player, who preferred to take control of his future. Now, after several twists and turns, he has finally ended his relationship with Real Madrid. He is free to choose his next club, but will likely seek to recoup much of the money he has given up, either through a signing bonus or a long-term contract that protects his market value at the age of 30.
Comunicado Oficial: Ceballos.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 26, 2026
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