Real Madrid star requests club to rip up his contract immediately

Real Madrid have rejected a player's request to rip up his contract so he can accelerate a move away from the club, reports claim.

Los Blancos are set for mass changes in their squad after the return of Jose Mourinho, with Ibrahima Konate, Bernardo Silva, Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella all joining as part of the new rebuild following a trophyless campaign.

Naturally, a whole lot of players will need to move on from Real this summer and those linked with exits include Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo Goes, Franco Mastantuono, Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio.

The future of midfielder Dani Ceballos is also up in the air, with the Spaniard having just one year remaining on his contract.

Ceballos has racked up more than 200 appearances for Real but has primarily been a squad player in recent years, having returned from a two-year loan at Arsenal.

While Real are happy to let him leave this summer, it's claimed they want to do so on their terms.

As per Mundo Deportivo, Ceballos' wish is to return to former club Real Betis for a second spell and he proposed waiving the final year of his deal in order to leave on a free.

Ceballos looks set to leave Real Madrid this summer. Image: Getty

Yet while that would make a departure smoother, it's said that Real are adamant that they want to receive a transfer fee for Ceballos and do not wish to lose him for nothing.

They value Ceballos at around €8 million and believe the 29-year-old still warrants a considerable fee given his age.

READ MORE: Real Madrid to pay club-record fee to Benfica as Jose Mourinho agreement made public

Betis are reportedly unwilling to pay what Real want and so a dream return for Ceballos could be denied unless the two clubs are able to come to an agreement.

In addition, there is also strong interest from Eredivisie giants Ajax - who are said to be close to agreeing a fee in the ballpark of Real's valuation.

At the time, the move would not be Ceballos' preference as he would prefer to remain in Spain.

Ceballos' relationship with Alvaro Arbeloa broke down last season, with the two reportedly involved in a row in a discussion about his lack of minutes.

The face-to-face did not go well and Ceballos did not play again for Real last season.

Asked about reports of the bust-up, Arbeloa told a press conference: "I don’t get into public debates about my players. It’s been 20 years since I trained as a Real Madrid player, and the first thing I learnt from the veteran players was that what happens in the Real Madrid dressing room, stays in the Real Madrid dressing room.”

In theory, Arbeloa's departure and Mourinho's arrival could give Ceballos a new lease of life but everything points towards the midfielder moving on this summer and he

Ceballos started out at Betis and went on to play 105 times before sealing his big move to Real in 2017.

He has played 13 times for Spain but his last cap came back in 2023.