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Football

20th Apr 2018

Liverpool are reportedly close to agreeing a deal for Real Madrid star

Jurgen Klopp is said to have intervened

Simon Lloyd

With the end of the season in sight, transfer talk is on the rise.

Liverpool, who have a Champions League semi-final with AS Roma to keep them occupied for now, have featured heavily so far.

Already linked with Wolves’ midfielder Ruben Neves, fresh reports are now tipping them for a move for Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos.

Ceballos, an Under-21 international for Spain, has endured a difficult first campaign for Zinedine Zidane’s side. The midfielder arrived at the Bernabeu last summer after impressing at Real Betis, where he came through the youth ranks. However, with plenty of competition for places he has found his playing time limited for Los Blancos, starting just twice.

As a result, he’s now been told he can leave – despite inking a six-year deal with Real last summer. AC Milan were thought to be favourites to sign Ceballos, although Calciomercato report that Jürgen Klopp has intervened to make Anfield his most likely destination.

The deal taking him to Madrid last summer cost around €18million (£15.8m). Despite failing to become a regular starter, Real are said to be looking for a fee of around €40 million (£35m). This, the report claims, has priced out Milan and Juve – also long-term admirers of the player – but not Liverpool.