Radamel
Falcao has completed the formalities of his move to Chelsea and will
link up with his new club on their pre-season tour of North America,
according to the Colombian striker’s family.
Falcao’s uncle
and father both confirmed on Tuesday night that a deal had been signed
with the London club, believed to be a one-year loan from his French
club, Monaco, with an option to make the move permanent next summer.
This ensures the 29-year-old will remain in the Premier League next term
following last season’s similar spell at Manchester United.
Chelsea
are yet to officially announce the signing but had held almost three
weeks of talks with Falcao’s representative, Jorge Mendes, and Monaco in
an attempt to reach a compromise over the player’s £265,000-a-week pay
package and loan fee. Agreement was eventually reached late last month,
with the champions expected to pay the striker nearer £180,000 a week
with a loan fee negotiated at around £4m for his services.
José
Mourinho, another Mendes client, has previously admitted to wanting to
“help Falcao get back to his level” following the serious knee ligament
injury suffered in January 2014, which ruled him out of last summer’s
World Cup, while the forward had stated he was keen to extend his stay
in the Premier League after United opted against making his move
permanent for £43.2m. He scored only four goals in 26 appearances for
Louis van Gaal’s side last term.
The player’s father, Radamel
García, who was himself a professional footballer, confirmed a deal had
been completed in an interview with Caracol TV on Tuesday. He suggested
Falcao would report to Chelsea’s pre-season base in Montreal, Canada on
19 or 20 July having been granted extra time off after the Copa América.
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Falcao’s uncle, Herbert King, who is currently
with the striker on holiday in Colombia, also confirmed to The Guardian
that a contract had been signed.
Once one of the most feared
strikers in the world, Falcao has endured a wretched time since
rupturing his cruciate ligament in a French Cup tie 19 months ago. His
spell at United ended with a solitary shot on target in his final 12
Premier League appearances, and an appearance for the club’s development
side against Tottenham Hotspur as Van Gaal desperately sought to repair
the player’s shattered confidence.
After the option to make the
move permanent was passed up, Falcao was named as Colombia’s captain by
the manager José Pekerman for this summer’s Copa América in an attempt
to restores his confidence. But, after failing to make his mark in the
opening three games of Colombia’s campaign, El Tigre was dropped to the
bench as Los Cafeteros crashed out of the tournament on penalties to
Argentina in the quarter-finals. Falcao appeared as a second-half
substitute and converted his spot-kick, but finished the Copa América
having attempted just one shot in open play.
Falcao will spend
the next few days with his family in Colombia before joining Chelsea on
their pre-season tour of North America, where they will play Barcelona,
Paris Saint-Germain and New York Red Bulls in the International
Champions Cup later this month.
Credit: Guardian Sport
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