A legal loophole keeps the former Real Madrid star on the market: the transfer window will not close on 1 September!

There is still a chance..

Spanish clubs will slam their doors shut when Tuesday's final hour strikes. One name, though, sits beyond the calculations and beyond time. Dani Ceballos, the player linked with every La Liga club, is still free, and the law protects him.

Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" have uncovered a loophole in FIFA's regulations that grants Ceballos what no one else has: the right to sign after the transfer window shuts. That makes him the late deal that could tip the balance of the season.

Ceballos' future remains uncertain, according to the newspaper. What is certain is that his story in the transfer market will not end when the summer window closes in Spain.

Just five days remain until the deadline for registering players in the Spanish league across both its first and second divisions, set for next Tuesday at exactly 11:59 pm. Everyone is bound by it. Everyone except one player: Dani Ceballos.

The reason, the newspaper explained, goes back to the player's exceptional legal situation. On 26 June, Ceballos reached an amicable agreement with Real Madrid to terminate the final year of his contract, which had run until 30 June 2027.

Here lies the crux of the matter. That agreement meant Ceballos entered the summer transfer market, which opened on 1 July, as a free player rather than one tied to a club. It is a status that grants him a special privilege under the regulations of the International Federation of Football Association.

FIFA's regulations on the status and transfer of players state, in the article concerning registration periods, that "a professional whose contract has expired naturally or has been terminated by mutual agreement prior to the end of a registration period may be registered outside the registration period of the engaging club."

Any club, then, whether inside or outside Spain, can sign Ceballos and register him even after the transfer window closes at midnight on Tuesday. That opens the door to a potential return to his parent club Real Betis.

The only obstacle: Europe

This domestic privilege comes with a European catch. UEFA have set Wednesday 2 September at 11:59 pm as the deadline for registering players in its three competitions: the Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League.

So if he joins Real Betis, who learn their Europa League opponents next Thursday, the Andalusian club must wrap up the deal and register him for Europe hours before that deadline. Miss it, and they will have to wait until the winter registration period to include him at continental level.