Manchester United have won the race to sign Radamel Falcao from Monaco on a one-year loan.
Falcao cost United £12 million and follows Angel di Maria, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo in joining manager Louis van Gaal at the club.
He had been linked throughout the summer with a move away from the French Ligue 1 side, who he joined for £50m in May 2013.
The former Porto and Atletico Madrid striker was expected to join Manchester City while Arsenal also entered the race late last week.
He was also linked to Italian champions Juventus and Spanish side Real Madrid.
Rumours of a move to European champions Real gathered pace on Saturday when a comment on his official Twitter account, which was later deleted, read: “Dream come true #halamadrid”.
However, Falcao indicated the first tweet was fake, saying: “I have to refute a story about a tweet I have not done and that is a photo montage.”
Speculation over his future grew when he was dropped from Monaco’s squad shortly before Saturday’s draw against Lille, after being expected to start.
Manchester United then moved for him amid fears of niggling injuries to Robin van Persie and will offset Falcao’s arrival with funds from the sale of Danny Welbeck on deadline day while Javier Hernandez joined Real Madrid.
Falcao has scored 11 goals in 20 appearances for Monaco and has made three appearances in Ligue 1 this season, after returning from an anterior cruciate ligament damage he sustained in January, which kept him out of this summer’s World Cup.
After completing his move, Falcao will join his national team ahead of their friendly against Brazil in Miami on Friday night.
The clash will be a repeat of the World Cup quarter-final which Brazil won 2-1.
