Aston Villa eye move for Real Madrid star who is a big fan of Unai Emery
Aston Villa are on the hunt for midfield reinforcements in January.
Aston Villa were heavily linked with a move to sign Conor Gallagher, with the Englishman having fallen massively out of favour at Atletico Madrid.
It was believed that a move to Villa Park was close until Tottenham swooped in, with the former Chelsea star now destined for a move back to London.
As a result, Villa have been forced to look elsewhere, with a move for a midfielder from the other half of Madrid now on the cards.
Dani Ceballos emerges as Aston Villa target
Dani Ceballos, like Gallagher, has had very little exposure to minutes in La Liga.
The Spaniard has started just four times for Real Madrid, having played 367 minutes in La Liga this season under Xabi Alonso.
As a result, there’s every chance that he will be moved on in the coming weeks, with Aston Villa said to be keen on a deal.
That is according to Sportsboom, who have reported that Unai Emery is ready to greenlight a move for the Real Madrid midfielder.
The duo spent time together at Arsenal before Ceballos returned to Spain, where Emery held Ceballos in high regard.
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Dani Ceballos once praised Unai Emery
Ceballos joined Arsenal from Real Madrid back in 2019, initially on a loan deal.
The Spaniard made 37 appearances that season under Emery, before returning to the Emirates for a second time on loan the season after.
In total, Ceballos played 77 times for the Gunners, with two goals and five assists to his name.
It was a move that raised some eyebrows, and Ceballos has previously spoken about how influential Emery was in the deal.
He said: “I went to play at a club like Arsenal because, apart from its stature as a big club, Unai practically came to my house to tell me that he loved me as a player, that he’s been in love with me since I played for Betis.
“The confidence of a coach is key to giving your best performance. Unai told me that I would be important with him at Arsenal, and I didn’t have any doubts about going there”
With Boubacar Kamara sidelined with injury, Ceballos would get plenty of gametime at Villa Park, while also being able to be reunited with his former manager.
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