OM – Dani Ceballos says yes… but Xabi Alonso is blocking it!

We thought we had our marquee reinforcement in midfield, but nothing is ever simple with OM. Dani Ceballos had said yes—verbal agreement, salary sorted, contract ready through 2030—and Marseille already saw themselves announcing the good news. But now Real Madrid are tightening the screws: Xabi Alonso, freshly installed on the Merengue bench, has vetoed the loan. For him, there’s no question of letting a player still considered useful to his rotation go without a hefty fee.

Ceballos + OM: the agreement is already in place

According to Matteo Moretto (DAZN) and Fabrizio Romano, everything is settled between OM and the player: around €6m per year in wages, a long-term deal, and the Spanish midfielder’s clear desire to join Marseille to get playing time again. Ceballos even fueled the rumors with a cryptic post on Instagram (“Last Dance”), which set the football world buzzing. In short, on the player’s side, the choice is made: he wants Provence.

But Madrid are blocking the deal

The problem is that Los Blancos aren’t on the same wavelength. OM favored a loan with an option to buy (€12–15m) to spread the costs and secure the future. But according to Cadena SER and several insiders, Xabi Alonso categorically refuses that formula. As far as he’s concerned, either Marseille pays the transfer fee up front, or the player stays at the Bernabéu. And internally, they point out that Ceballos remains a useful depth piece in a brutal schedule (La Liga, Champions League, Club World Cup…).

A financial dilemma for Marseille

Here’s the real headache: should they splash €12–15m cash right now on a 29-year-old, or risk seeing the operation collapse? OM have already spent big this summer (Paixão, Medina, Gomes, Weah, Aubameyang, etc.) and still have other priorities (center-back, left-back). Can they afford a move like that without unbalancing the rest of the window?

What now?

Everything hinges on Real’s hard line. If the Marseille executives accept Madrid’s terms, Ceballos could arrive as soon as this week. Otherwise, the player could be left stuck, despite his stated desire to join OM. Frustrating, right?

So, what do you think, OM family? Should the club take the risk and invest cash in a player of Ceballos’s caliber? Or should they keep their financial firepower for other reinforcements? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we want to hear it all!