Liverpool have held talks with representatives of Real Madrid star Dani Ceballos as he attempts to engineer an exit from the Bernabeu, according to Diario Gol.
The Spanish outlet report that central midfielder Ceballos has given up on trying to break into the Madrid first-team, and has accepted he must move away to fulfil his potential.
Diario Gol claim that Real have granted the player and his agent permission to seek an immediate exit from the Bernabeu, and they have entered discussions with Liverpool, Arsenal, Roma and Inter Milan.
It is said that the club do not want to let him leave in January, and would only be willing to let him go out on loan in the summer.
Ceballos was a summer signing from Real Betis, and chose to join Madrid over rivals Barcelona. It is said that it was chairman Florentino Perez who signed Ceballos to increase the Spanish contingent in the Los Blancos squad, and he has found his game time massively limited under Zinedine Zidane.
Good move for Liverpool?
Ceballos is regarded as one of Spain’s greatest young talents, and was voted player of the tournament at the European Under-21 Championships in the summer.
That was despite teammates Saul Niguez and Marco Asensio finishing first and second in the goalscoring charts, and demonstrates exactly why Ceballos is so highly-regarded.
The central midfielder could be compared in many ways to current Madrid star Luka Modric. He runs games from midfield with his clever passing and skilful dribbling, but he is never going to score too many goals.
At just 21 years old, he still has years of development ahead of him, and if Liverpool were able to swoop for him, they would have a serious player on their hands.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
The report claims that Madrid are reluctant to let Ceballos go despite the player being quite obviously out of Zidane’s plans.
It is therefore unlikely that Ceballos will leave the club in January, with a summer move looking the more likely option.
Whether Liverpool are serious contenders for his signature is unknown, and it may be more likely that he stays on the continent to develop his skills further before making the jump to the Premier League.
This is Futbol rating: 2/10