Mikel Arteta is keen to keep Dani Ceballos at the Emirates.

The Sun reported two weeks ago that the Real Madrid player on loan at Arsenal will not have his loan deal extended or signed permanently when the season closes due to below pal performance.

Ceballos recently agreed to a short-term loan until the end of the season as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and Real Madrid would want to cash in on the player.

The 23-year old attacking midfielder had his sights set in Spain should the Gunners choose to end his stay in England.

According to the Arsenal manager, he’s glad at how Ceballos has stepped up his game at the Emirates and his efforts towards training yet talks are ongoing between the two clubs, which would determine the stance of the player.

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“Yeah, we are talking to the club, obviously we don’t own the player.

“He’s not in our hands so the clubs will need to have a communication and see what we can do.

“I’m really happy with him, the way he’s evolving and I love how much he likes to play football – the passion he puts into every training session, and in every game, you just have to see his celebrations.

“Whether he’s on the pitch or on the bench, the way he celebrates shows how much he puts in and he throws his life into it.

“And again I’m really happy with him, I think he’s evolving in the right way and he’s becoming a really important player for us.”