Zaragoza seal Milan loan

Milan's Ricardo Oliveira will spend next season on loan at Real Zaragoza.

Milan have officially announced that Ricardo Oliveira will spend next season on loan at Real Zaragoza and could make the move permanent next summer.

The Brazilian striker was told that he was surplus to requirements at the San Siro and opted to return to Spain.

"Milan announce they have loaned out the footballer Ricardo Oliveira to Real Zaragoza with an option to full ownership," a statement on the Italian club's website read.

With Oliveira's arrival, Ewerthon now looks set to move back to the Bundesliga by joining Stuttgart, having previously starred for Borussia Dortmund.

Zaragoza will play in the Uefa Cup next term, but have not looked to make any major changes to their squad and believe that the striker swap will be seamless.

Oliveira went to Spain in 2003 to join Valencia after scoring 22 goals in 34 appearances for Santos in Brazil, but stayed only year at Mestalla.

In 2004 he joined Real Betis and became a star at the club as he netted 27 times in 46 outings before falling out with then-president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera.

After missing the majority of the 2005/06 campaign with knee ligament damage, Oliveira was allowed to join Sao Paulo on loan to recover his fitness.

But having reported back late to the Spanish club, he was threatened with a ,é¼1million fine and Ruiz de Lopera said he would sell him to a club in Russia's second division.

Instead a ,é¼10million offer from Milan was accepted and the 27-year-old enjoyed a season in Italy as the club won the Champions League against Liverpool.