Barcelona target Dani Ceballos has 'agreement with Real Madrid' says Real Betis president Angel Haro

Ceballos' form for Spain Under-21 in Poland saw him attract interest from Real and Barcelona.

• By SPORTANLST
  July 11, 2017 08:00 GMT    

Real Betis midfielder Dani Ceballos has rejected an opportunity to sign a contract extension as he has an "agreement with Real Madrid", according to the club president Angel Haro.
The 20-year-old impressed for Spain in the Under-21 European Championship in Poland and was named the best player of the tournament. His form has seen him attract interest from top clubs in his homeland.
Apart from Madrid, the Mirror claims their league rivals Barcelona are also in the race to secure his signature. Ceballos met Betis coach Quique Setien, Haro and vice president Lorenzo Serra Ferrer on 4 July and held talks with them over his future.
Ceballos admitted that his future will be decided in the coming weeks. He has three years left on his contract at Betis and his employers are keen on retaining the midfielder and even offer him a new deal.
However, Haro revealed that Ceballos has his heart set on joining the Champions League and the La Liga winners. The Betis president even stressed that the Spaniard's move to Madrid should be completed in the "coming days".
"Ceballos rejected a new contract offer from Betis. He has an agreement with Madrid and we are all talking at the moment. It will be resolved in the coming days or hours," Haro told the Spanish publication AS.
The midfielder has a €15m (£13.3m, $17.1m) release clause in his Betis contract. However, Zinedine Zidane's side are ready to pay €18m (£15.9m, $20.5m) in order to beat Barcelona in signing Ceballos.
Haro admitted that it will be difficult for them to retain Ceballos if the club is ready to pay more than the player's release clause.
"[If] you make an offer to the player, he has a clause and another club pays that, or more, you cannot do anything," he stressed.
"It is not a failure on our part. In the coming hours we can say precisely what Real Madrid have offered. But life goes on, other players will come, and we can say that nobody is irreplaceable."

Dani Ceballos won the Player of the Tournament at the U21 European championship in Poland.