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President of the Spanish superclub Real Madrid Florentino Perez announced to the media on Thursday that Spanish national team forward Fernando Morientes, who is currently on loan to another team this season, will return to Madrid after the season.
"We are very happy that he is doing so well at Monaco," Perez said. "We are pleased to see that he is the best player at Monaco and he has proven that. However, on June 30 he will return to Real, as his contract with the club is valid for another two years."
The 28-year-old forward, who helped Monaco reach the Champions League final this year by scoring 9 goals in the European tournament, spent most of the past season on the bench at Real because his position in the starting lineup was taken by Brazilian Ronaldo. For this reason, he was unexpectedly loaned to the French club last August.
In this year's Champions League quarterfinals, where Monaco and Real faced each other, Fernando scored two goals in both matches, helping Monaco to a surprising victory.
Meanwhile, Monaco President Pierre Svara said: "We would like to keep Fernando. However, a player of his caliber is very expensive, and we, with our financial abilities, will certainly not compete with wealthier clubs."
