On-loan Arsenal midfielder Ceballos reiterates desire to succeed at Real Madrid

Dejan Kalinic

On-loan Arsenal midfielder Ceballos reiterates desire to succeed at Real Madrid image

Dani Ceballos has reiterated his desire to be successful at Real Madrid after his loan spell at Arsenal.

Ceballos is on a season-long loan at the Premier League club but is contracted with Madrid until 2023.

The midfielder has appeared in 24 games for the Gunners this season, scoring one goal and adding two assists. 

However, the nine-time Spain international is still eager to succeed with the La Liga giants, having arrived from Real Betis three years ago.

"I am a Real Madrid player ... and any player in the world would like to play for Real Madrid," Ceballos told TVE on Wednesday.

"I have a contract with them for three more years and they are the ideal team to succeed."

Ceballos saw his future called into question earlier this month as rumours swirled that Madrid were willing to offer him and Sergio Reguilon in a swap deal for Sevilla star Lucas Ocampos.

But Ceballos was quick to debunk the rumour, tweeting out a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump wagging his finger and shaking his head.

Still, Ceballos' future at Madrid is up in the air, as the midfielder revealed last month that he had not spoken to manager Zinedine Zidane since leaving to join Arsenal. 

"I haven't spoken to Zidane since I left,” Ceballos told Movistar. “It has to be difficult to have a dressing room with so many players. I don't think Zidane talks to the loan players.”

Ceballos is preparing for a return to Premier League action, with top-flight clubs in England returning to training this week.

The 23-year-old revealed Arsenal players had returned no positive tests for coronavirus.

"We passed the tests and the truth is that the whole team has tested negative," Ceballos said.

Six players and staff from three teams tested positive for Covid-19 after the Premier League conducted testing on Sunday and Monday. 

One of the players is Watford defender Adrian Mariappa, who revealed his positive test on Wednesday.

"It's quite scary how you can feel absolutely fine and not really have left the house, and yet still get the virus," Mariappa told The Telegraph.

Dejan Kalinic