Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos is only a Real Madrid player by name. He wants out of the club this summer and has already clarified that.
Nobody can deny the excellent career Dani Ceballos has made for himself. Sure, he might not be every Real Madrid fan's favourite player, and he's by no means crucial, but he is sitting on a pile of medals and, to address the elephant in the room, money.
The latter reason might be serving Dani Ceballos well in his personal life, but his impressive salary is actively harming his chances of moving away from Real Madrid. Realistically, Real Madrid is the only club that can match it.
Dani Ceballos wants to leave Real Madrid, that's for sure
According to a report from Diario AS, Dani Ceballos is eager to re-join Real Betis and leave Madrid this summer. So much so, he's even willing to take a pay cut.
So, Ceballos seemingly did his part, so why is he still a Real Madrid player? Well, the simple fact of the matter, according to AS, is that Real Betis didn't match Madrid's valuation.
Real Madrid wants €15m for Dani Ceballos' sale, but Real Betis only offered €5m. This is the reason why the midfielder didn't leave, and he hinted at this with a now-deleted social media post.
On Instagram, Ceballos said: "Nothing clears your conscience like 'I tried everything'." (translated from Spanish to English).
Subliminal messaging from Ceballos? Sure seems that way.
Quit playing hard, Real Madrid
Look, if he doesn't want to be here, then there isn't much Real Madrid can do. I understand it's in Florentino's best interest to recoup as much money as possible, but when the cost of doing that is hosting an unhappy player that eats away the salary bill, is it really worth it?
Real Betis submitted a bid which was 66.67% less than what Real Madrid wanted. This is definitely worth remembering, but it's not worth punishing Ceballos for.
If Ceballos has other suitors, then great, Real Madrid should absolutely hold out for a better offer which matches their own valuation. If not, then Real Madrid owes it to Ceballos to let him return home.