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Jesus Vallejo to return to Real Madrid following Eintracht Frankfurt loan

Defender Jesus Vallejo will return to Real Madrid next season, according to Eintracht Frankfurt, where he spent last season on loan.

Vallejo, 20, signed for Madrid from hometown club Real Zaragoza for €5 million in 2015, and will now form part of Zinedine Zidane's first-team squad next season.

"It was my dream when I signed for Real Madrid two years ago to be part of the first team. This dream has now come true," Vallejo said in a statement on Eintracht's website. "But it would never have been possible without the help of Eintracht Frankfurt."

The centre-back earned rave reviews during 25 Bundesliga appearances, with Frankfurt coach Niko Kovac describing him as "scandalously good" and the German club keen to keep hold of him.

Eintracht sporting director Fredi Bobic said: "Of course, we have mixed feelings about this news. Jesus enjoyed an outstanding season and helped us a lot.

"We would have loved to have seen him in Frankfurt for another year, but we are very proud that we were able to develop him so well that he is now permanently in Real's plans. On behalf of the whole club, I wish him all the best."

However, Madrid have decided that now is the time to bring Vallejo into the first team fold following Pepe's decision to leave the club after 10 years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Without the experienced Portuguese defender, Los Blancos are left with just Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Nacho Fernandez as options to play in the middle of the back four.

Spanish media reports said that Vallejo will be officially presented as a Madrid player when he returns from Poland, where he is about to take part in the Under-21 European Championship with Spain.

Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio have all undertaken similar footballing educations on their way to Real's first team in recent seasons.

Vazquez and Asensio both returned after loan spells with Espanyol, while Madrid exercised buy-back clauses to bring Carvajal and Morata back from Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus respectively.

Vallejo may not be the last player to be promoted to the first team following a successful loan spell this summer, either.

Midfielder Marcos Llorente is also expected to be given a place in Zidane's squad after an impressive season with La Liga side Alaves.

The 21-year-old, who is also currently with Spain U21s, is seen as the perfect understudy to Casemiro, one of the few Madrid players who did not benefit from having a natural backup this season.

ESPN FC correspondent Mark Lovell contributed to this report.