Real Madrid Targets Midfielders If Dani Ceballos Leaves

Dani Ceballos is linked to leaving Real Madrid to join Marseille (Instagram/@danifuli10).

JAKARTA - Real Madrid manager, Xabi Alonso, revealed that he is satisfied with the current Real Madrid squad. He also doesn't want any players to go on this summer's stock exchange.

However, there is a chance for Dani Ceballos to be anchored to Marseille. The Ligue 1 club has negotiated transfers or loans with a permanent purchase obligation.

Seeing this situation, Alonso insists he will not release the midfielder, unless Real Madrid can get a replacement in the final days of the transfer market.

No wonder, the plan from Alonso makes negotiations complicated. Real Madrid wants at least 15 million pounds to release Ceballos, but on the other hand there are only a few players on the transfer market who meet the requirements of the coach.

Previously, Los Blancos had poured more than 200 million euros to strengthen the squad with the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, and young player Franco Mastantuono.

However, in reality they haven't recruited a single midfielder despite releasing Luka Modric to AC Milan as a free agent.

At the start of the summer, they explored the option to repatriate Nico Paz, but decided to let him stay in Como for another season as the club saw him as a very attractive option for the future and did not want to interfere with its development.

Ceballos has become a substitute in the first two La Liga matches. After the match against Oviedo, he uploaded a message on his Instagram account that reads 'last time'.

The 29-year-old has been linked to Real Betis throughout the summer, but ESPN says Marseille is now in the best position to sign him if the club gives the green light to the deal.

Xabi has chosen Arda Guler to lead the midfield alongside Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni in the games earlier this season.

This condition made Ceballos want to leave Real Madrid to look for a more important role in other clubs to realize their dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup with the Spanish National Team.

The former Arsenal and Betis player knows his chances of qualifying for the World Cup are very small, but he wants to give it a try. With Xabi Alonso as coach, he felt he would not be able to compete for a top spot in the squad.

Real Madrid also appreciates young players from the Thiago Pitarch academy as an option for promotion to the first team. The club decided to renew its contract after impressive pre-seasons, but the team wanted another alternative with players with more experience to face this season.

Meanwhile, in addition to the future of Ceballos, which has been hesitant for weeks, Rodrygo has also faced the same situation.

However, after Rodrygo started against Oviedo, Alonso confirmed that no more players left, including the Brazilian.

He said he needed all the current players to navigate the 2025/2026 season.