Radamel Falcao signs for Manchester United in £6m season-long loan deal

Casemiro opens up on why he nearly CANCELLED his £70m move to Man United from Real Madrid... as the Brazilian star reveals an emotional chat with Carlo Ancelotti almost changed his mind
Ratcliffe's revolution continues! Man United confirm appointment of Jason Wilcox as new technical director after agreeing compensation with Southampton and will start new role with immediate effect
PHIL FODEN on the very personal reason why he wears No 47, how he deals with the relentless Pep Guardiola... and he finally settles a Man City myth
Cole Palmer was asking to leave Man City for TWO seasons, reveals Pep Guardiola... as he admits he 'didn't give the Chelsea star the minutes he deserved'
Arsenal's April curse strikes again! SAMI MOKBEL reveals exactly what needs to change for Mikel Arteta to win major honours
Can Chelsea pile more misery on Man City and end their double hopes? The Blues are 12/5 to win FA Cup semi-final tie... with Cole Palmer 2/1 to score anytime against his former side
Zinedine Zidane 'would prefer to manage Man United over Bayern Munich' and is 'monitoring the situation at Old Trafford'... DESPITE being 'close' to a deal to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bundesliga giants
Lower-league clubs could BOYCOTT the FA Cup in fury after the Premier League and The FA agreed to scrap replays in the hallowed tournament
Michael Schumacher's incredible watch collection 'is set to be auctioned by his family' with eight of his unique timepieces 'expected to fetch an estimated £5M'
Tired? Give it a rest. If Man City keep talking about feeling jaded then they'll start to believe they are, writes GRAEME SOUNESS
Coventry have been penniless, homeless and at war with their owners but, like the city bombed in 1940, they have risen from the rubble to set up their semi-final date with Man United
Richard Keys claims Jurgen Klopp has 'KILLED' Liverpool with 'ill-judged' mid-season announcement about leaving, as Reds' campaign unravels ahead of his summer exit
Man City 'are already preparing for life after Pep Guardiola and have identified LaLiga boss as a potential successor to the Spaniard when he leaves the Etihad'
New footage shows Xabi Alonso and his Bayer Leverkusen staff reacting to finding out Europa League semi-final opponent, as footage prompts fans to warn German champions about underestimating Roma
Man United target names the Red Devils as a club he'd love to play for, despite snubbing Erik ten Hag's advances for TWO YEARS... with Premier League rivals also on his list
Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes hints he will STAY at the club after splashing £4MILLION on house in the North East - as Premier League rivals prepare to tempt Brazil star away from Tyneside
Ryan Garcia vs Devin Haney is ON despite troubled fighter weighing 3.2lbs overweight - and will pay his rival $1.5MILLION after $500k press conference bet
Wales and Burnley legend Leighton James dies aged 71: Tributes flood in for 'massive personality' and 'brilliant player' whose football career spanned more than 600 games
Bayern Munich are 'one step away' from appointing Zinedine Zidane as manager... with Frenchman also monitoring managerial situation at Manchester United
Emma Raducanu LOSES to world No 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets in quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open.. as her winless run against top-10 players drags on
Barcelona legend urges the club to hire Jose Mourinho to replace Xavi despite history managing rivals Real Madrid... as he explains why he would be a 'great signing 'at the Nou Camp
Unai Emery hails Emiliano Martinez as the 'BEST goalkeeper in the world' after match-winning display and antics against Lille, but admits he 'thought Argentine would be sent off'
Rugged Ronaldo! Picture of Portuguese superstar with beard goes viral, but is the facial hair a new look for 39-year-old or generated by AI?
Chelsea 'are set to rival Man City for Jamal Musiala' as Blues look to bring former youth star back to England after starring for Bayern Munich

Manchester United have won the race to sign Radamel Falcao
Colombian has joined on season-long loan and cost £6million
He has agreed a deal worth £280,000-a-week
Old Trafford club saw off Arsenal and Manchester City for striker
Juventus were also interested in taking him to Italy
United signed Falcao amid fears of niggling injuries to Robin van Persie
Danny Welbeck will be sold while Javier Hernandez has joined Real Madrid
Colombian striker will wear the No 9 shirt at Old Trafford this season

By Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail

Published: 05:12 EDT, 1 September 2014 | Updated: 04:59 EDT, 2 September 2014

e-mail

1.7k

View
comments

TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY

Re-live all the drama here

Manchester United have shown their financial muscle by completing a stunning deadline-day deal for Radamel Falcao after moneybags neighbours City were put off by the staggering cost.

Monaco’s Colombia striker arrived on a private jet to tie up a season-long loan to Old Trafford for a fee of £6million, with an option to buy him next summer for a further £46m.

Falcao told www.manutd.com: 'I am delighted to be joining Manchester United on loan this season. Manchester United is the biggest club in the world and is clearly determined to get back to the top.

'I am looking forward to working with Louis van Gaal and contributing to the team’s success at this very exciting period in the club’s history.'

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Neil Ashton: Radamel Falcao is obsessed with scoring goals

Pose: Radamel Falcao holds his Manchester United jersey aloft after completing a season-long loan move

Arrival: Falcao joins on loan for an initial £6m fee with an option to buy next summer for a further £46m

Side by side: Falcao poses with the United shirt and assistant manager Ryan Giggs

Proud: The Colombian is the eighth from his native country to play in the Premier League

Boost: Falcao speaks with Giggs after signing from Monaco, and promises to kick-start United's season

Done deal: Manchester United have won the race to sign Falcao from Monaco on a loan deal

Celebration: (left to right) Falcao's lawyers Carlos Osorio and Paulo Rendeiro, the restaurant owner, Falcao and his agent Jorge Mendes as the striker celebrates his transfer with a meal at Wing's Chinese

All smiles: (left to right) Falcao's lawyers Paulo Rendeiro and Carlos Osorio, the Colombian and Jorge Mendes

Happy now, Louis? United manager Van Gaal receives a lifetime achievement award during the Dutch Footballer of the Year Gala in Hilversum on Monday night

Arrived: Falcao turns up at United's training ground on Monday evening as the window comes to a close

Jetting in: Falcao's private plane lands at Manchester Airport shortly before 6pm on Monday night

Drive time: Falcao can be seen arriving at United's Carrington training ground around 6.30pm (back right)

Familiar face: Falcao was part of the Monaco side that played Arsenal in the Emirates Cup in pre-season

England calling: Falcao also faced Tottenham in a friendly fixture last summer with the French club

Sitting it out: Falcao (right) watched Monaco's game against Lille from the stands at the weekend

Falcao by numbers

River Plate (2005-09): 105 apps/45 goals

Porto (2009-12): 87 apps/72 goals

Atletico Madrid (2011-13): 91 apps/70 goals

Monaco (2013-14): 22 apps/13 goals

Colombia: 51 caps/20 goals

Manager Van Gaal added: 'I am delighted Radamel has joined us on loan this season. He is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the game. His appearance-to-goal ratio speaks for itself and, when a player of this calibre becomes available, it is an opportunity not to be missed.'

But United have had to pay the 28-year-old around £280,000 a week to persuade him to leave the tax haven. Falcao, who will wear the No 9 shirt at Old Trafford this season, was initially offered to English clubs over the weekend for personal terms of £345,000 a week, and while City officials held talks with Monaco and Falcao’s representatives, they were put off by the size of the deal, which also deterred Arsenal.

That left the door open for United to make their move on Sunday night, just four days after agreeing a British record fee of £59.7m with Real Madrid for Angel di Maria.

United wanted another striker because they have concerns that Robin van Persie still has problems from the knee injury he suffered near the end of last season and could yet need surgery.

Summer time: Falcao spent time in Miami with his family after missing the World Cup through injury

Relaxing: Falcao watched on from the sidelines as Colombia reached the quarter-finals before losing to Brazil

Main man: Falcao has established himself as one of the most potent strikers in Europe

Deadly: Falcao has scored goals in Argentina, Portugal, France and Spain and is now on his way to England

Winner: Falcao celebrates winning the Europa League with Porto in Dublin in 2011

Champions: Porto beat Braga in an all-Portuguese Europa League final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin

Talent scout: Falcao was one of several Colombian players Porto landed for relatively small money

Don't drop it: Falcao helped Atletico Madrid beat Chelsea to win the European Super Cup two years ago

One of the best: Falcao scored 70 goals during his time in Spain with Atletico Madrid before joining Monaco

Memento: Falcao was also wanted by Manchester City and Arsenal but opted to move to Old Trafford

Falcao vs Van Persie vs Rooney

Falcao Rooney Van Persie

Games Played 88 93 99

Minutes Played 7366 7576 8177

Goals 63 57 68

Con Rate % 25.2 20.8 22.1

Mins/Goal 116.9 132.9 120.3

Assists 4 24 21

Chances Created 73 158 180

It is understood United persuaded Falcao to accept the same sum they are paying the Argentina midfielder, which is slightly less than the £300,000 a week earned by captain Wayne Rooney. United also tied up the £14m signing of Ajax midfielder Daley Blind, who joins Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo at Old Trafford after a summer that has seen them spend around £160million.

Blind, 24, said: ‘It is a real honour to sign for Manchester United. Louis van Gaal is a tremendously talented coach, I have worked with him at Ajax and also for Holland and I cannot wait to work with him at the biggest club in the world.’

Starting out: Falcao joined River Plate after leaving Colombia in 2005 and went on to spend four years there

Talisman: Falcao has also led the line for Colombia and is seen here having a shot blocked by David Luiz

Loved: Falcao is in the Colombia squad for their friendly with Brazil in Miami on Friday night

Finishing touch: Falcao scores for the South American side against Belgium in a friendly last November

Golden generation: Falcao is among a number of Colombians to have come through the system in recent years

Friends United: Gary Neville (right) tweeted: 'Ah I knew that late night bottle of red might pay off!! Haha'

Concern: United signed Falcao amid fears that Robin van Persie (right) is suffering from niggling injuries

Moving on: Javier Hernandez (left) is joining Real Madrid after struggling to hold down his place at United

Time up: Danny Welbeck is also expected to leave on deadline day with Tottenham one possible destination

UNITED'S SUMMER BY NUMBERS

£147.1m - Amount spent by United in the summer transfer window, more than any other team in the country

200 - Goals scored by Falcao during his club career

£10m - United’s net spend this summer is around £10million higher than Jose Mourinho’s entire net spend in his two spells at Chelsea

7 - United have signed seven players this summer, the most in one window since the summer of 2007

0.66 - Falcao’s goals per game rate in his club career, much better than the PL’s top strikers.

Aguero 0.48, Van Persie 0.47, Rooney 0.45, Dzeko 0.44, Giroud 0.42, Sturridge 0.39, Balotelli 0.39, Costa 0.38

Van Gaal welcomed a player he used on the left side of Holland’s defence at the World Cup but is more likely to deploy as a holding midfielder at United.

‘I am delighted Daley has signed for the club,’ said Van Gaal. ‘He is a very intelligent and versatile footballer who can play in many positions. Daley is a great reader of the game and he has played under my philosophy over a number of years.’

Falcao’s arrival meant striker Danny Welbeck was allowed to join rivals Arsenal in a £16m deal, while Javier Hernandez went to Real Madrid on a season-long loan, with an option for a £16m permanent move.