Atletico Madrid have submitted an offer to Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos ahead of a potential move in the summer, reports Marca.
Ceballos’ contract runs out at the end of the season, and Los Rojiblancos are looking to raid their fellow city rivals for his services.
The Spanish midfielder had long been on the fringes at Santiago Bernabeu before seemingly revving his career with a string of impressive performances in recent weeks.
He has also gained a more prominent role, starting in all the last four La Liga games while producing scintillating displays against Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Valencia.
There is a stumbling block for Atletico as their arch-rivals are in talks to extend Ceballos’ contract, having reportedly tabled a four-year offer.
The Spaniard is open to pledging his future with Los Merengues after growing in stature since the turn of the year.
Ceballos looks to have jumped the pecking order ahead of veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Both players are out of contract in the summer and face uncertain futures.
Atletico previously raided the reigning European champions for Marcos Llorente in 2019 after he had been struggling for game time.
However, they may struggle to repeat a similar move with Ceballos, who Madrid are keen to hold on to.
Atletico signed Memphis Depay from Barcelona in the January transfer window while sanctioning the exits of Matheus Cunha to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Joao Felix to Chelsea on loan.
They are planning an overhaul for the summer, with Diego Simeone’s job also on the line following a disappointing campaign this term.
