Report suggests Everton deal to sign James Rodriguez would see Arsenal miss out on Dani Ceballos return

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Everton are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign James Rodriguez from Real Madrid in an eye-catching transfer. As reported by The Telegraph this week, Everton are in talks over a deal to sign the Colombian. MARCA has since reported that Everton will pay a figure in the region of €25 million-€30 million (£22.5m-£27m) for the player’s services and reunite him with Carlo Ancelotti, who managed him at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, for the third time. 

Now, reports in Spain are suggesting why this could be bad news for Arsenal and their hopes of keeping Dani Ceballos on loan for a further season. 

As reported by The Telegraph, Arsenal were in talks to bring Ceballos back to The Emirates this summer, but those talks have been delayed by the recent departure of recruitment chief Raul Sanllehi. A report from MARCA in July suggested Ceballos could be available for €25 million (£22.5m), but Arsenal were believed to be pushing for another loan deal with a potential obligation to buy. 

Ceballos’ return to Arsenal is contingent on him not having a place in the Real Madrid team and, with Los Merengues seemingly resigned to not finding a buyer for the likes of Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, and others, it seemed Ceballos was surplus to requirements. 

However, Mundo Deportivo is now reporting that the departure of Rodriguez would free up a space in Zinedine Zidane’s squad which would see Ceballos kept on board. 

It would be a big blow for Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta is clearly a big fan of the Spanish international. Ceballos played a key role in the Gunners’ renewed form after the Premier League restart and would be a crucial recruit if returning to Arsenal this summer. 

However, it appears that Everton’s transfer activity could end up with Arsenal coming up short.