Ceballos returns to Betis in late deadline day move

Midfielder Dani Ceballos returned to Real Betis in one of the last of the deadline day deals in La Liga which was confirmed in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Dani Ceballos (front L) of Real Madrid vies with Samu Castillejo (front R) of Valencia CF during a Spanish La Liga football match between Real Madrid and Valencia CF in Madrid, Spain, Feb. 2, 2023. (Photo by Gustavo Valiente/Xinhua)

The 30-year-old goes back to the club where he began his career and has agreed to a three-year-contract until June 2029 after rescinding his deal with Real Madrid earlier in the summer.

Ceballos made his Betis debut in 2014 and made 98 La Liga appearances for the club before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2017.

He had an up-and-down career at Real Madrid, playing 135 times in La Liga in nine years in which he rarely seemed to be first choice and he was loaned to Arsenal for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Betis' qualification for this season's Champions League, with its subsequent boost for the club's economy, opened the door for Ceballos to return to the club he has always supported and he and Real Madrid reached agreement to rescind his contract to allow his return to take place.