Real Betis president denies Real Madrid deal for U21 star

Real Betis president Angel Haro has rubbished reports suggesting Real Madrid are on the verge of signing Spain U21 star Dani Ceballos after insisting the La Liga champions haven’t even made contact.

Ceballos, who is close friends with Madrid ace Marco Asensio, has caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs after turning in a series of eye-catching displays at the U21 European Championships in Russia this summer.

The 20-year-old has a measly €15m (£13.2m) release clause in his existing deal and there had been suggestions Madrid were willing to pay move than that to secure the future of the highly rated central midfielder.

However, while Haro has conceded there has been interest since his performance against Italy on Wednesday night, the Betis chief insists Madrid are not one of those teams.

“We want him to remain here as a player for Real Betis,” Haro told AS. “It is true that there has been interest from teams since the other night. But there have been no negotiations. Real Madrid have not engaged us in conversation.

“We will talk about it when we can. We want him to stay but we have to wait and see what his intentions are.”

Ceballos struggled to establish himself as a first team regular under Gus Poyet but flourished under Victor Sanchez, who was sacked at the start of May.

However, the youngster has revealed he will not think about his future until after Friday’s final, although he has conceded every young player wants to be linked with a move to Madrid.

“I feel relaxed about that,” he told AS when asked about his future. “When the tournament is over, I’ll sit down with my agents and we’ll look at the offers on the table. Right now, my future is with Betis. I have three years left on my contract, and I’m relaxed.

“At the end of the day, if the big clubs are interested in you, it’s because you’re doing well. It’s really nice to be talked about like that. From when you’re young, everybody wants to see that [being linked to Madrid].

"But I’m relaxed and trying to get on with things as normal. I speak with my family and friends to isolate myself a little, and build up strength ahead of the final.”

Only Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore (136) has completed more dribbles of all Spanish players in Europe’s top five leagues in the last two campaigns than Ceballos (132).

For more stats on Dani Ceballos, click here to visit his WhoScored player page