Chelsea have made contact with Real Betis over a move for Dani Ceballos, reports Estadio Deportivo [via Metro].
The 19-year-old has also been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, who have both sent scouts to watch him [Daily Mirror]. The Blues have been interested in him since 2014 according to the Metro, meaning all three could become involved in a bidding war for the youngster.
They have now ‘knocked at the door’ for the Spain Under 21s international, implying that the Stamford Bridge outfit have made contact with Betis over a transfer. With a few months to go until the January transfer window, it could be that they are starting negotiations early in order to avoid a situation similar to what happened with John Stones.
The London side made several bids for the 21-year-old over the summer, but failed in all of them [Mirror]. With John Terry and Gary Cahill both looking error-prone at the back in the early stages of the campaign, this failure to bring in a new centre-back has had a massive effect on their attempts to defend the Premier League title.
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They will be hoping that doesn’t happen again, with Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic also looking like they need more competition. Last season, Ceballos made 37 appearances for Los Verdiblancos, showing that even at his young age, he has plenty of senior experience. He has been likened to Fabregas [Independent], and could be a good back up for the Spain international.