Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos has confirmed he did hold talks with Zinedine Zidane recently about his future at Real Madrid.

The Frenchman did not deem the 23-year-old part of his first-team plans last summer, paving the way for his loan move to the Gunners, but Ceballos has said he has had a positive conversation regarding staying at the Bernabeu:

“I saw Zidane in Valdebebas a few months ago when I was recovering from my injury and he told me that he watched my games with Arsenal.”

“I have a good relationship with him and he always told me that we are similar players in the sense that I need to play very often in order to be in good condition.”

“He always told me that my future is in Real Madrid and that I needed to be patient because I will likely have a chance.”

Arsenal don’t have a purchase option in Ceballos’s season-long loan deal so the decision will rest with both the player and Zidane over whether he stays longer at the Emirates.

There were question marks over whether he would even finish the campaign with the Gunners after struggling to get game time under manager Mikel Arteta.

However, before the postponement in football fixtures, Ceballos had begun to establish himself as an important first-team player, and supporters would be disappointed to lose him if he does return to Spain at the end of the season.