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Radamel Falcao to Manchester United: Louis van Gaal takes transfer spend beyond £140m - SIXTH most of any Premier league manager

Van Gaal is just £71m shy of Sir Alex Ferguson's total spend during his Premier League reign after signing the Colombian striker on a £9m loan

Jack de Menezes

Monday 01 September 2014 12:29 BST

Louis van Gaal (right) and Ryan Giggs look on from the touchline during the 4-0 MK Dons defeat (GETTY IMAGES)

The loan deal that brings Radamel Falcao to Manchester United will see Louis van Gaal’s Premier League spending surpass the £140m mark – making him sixth in the list of the highest transfer fees spent by any manager in the English top flight.

Follow transfer deadline day live here

With Falcao set to move to Old Trafford on a season-long loan that will cost the Red Devils a £9m fee, United’s spending this summer will rise to just over of £141.7m – and that figure will increase further when the £14.25m deal for Daley Blind is confirmed.

United’s summer began with the £28m signing of England left-back Luke Shaw – who is yet to make his competitive debut for the club due to injury – and was quickly followed by the £29m acquisition of Ander Herrera.

With the World Cup taking centre stage through June and July, United’s transfer business appeared to grind to a halt, but the new faces continued last month as United announced a £16m move for Argentina defender Marcus Rojo, although the former Sporting Lisbon player is yet to arrive at the club after complications in being granted a work permit.

The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

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1/10The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Radamel Falcao - Manchester United

Despite missing more than six months with injury, the Colombian striker remains one of the hottest properties in Europe. Falcao had been linked with a move to Real Madrid, but Arsenal and Manchester City had been linked with a move on deadline day for the striker. Enter Manchester United, who pulled off the shock of the summer after a season-long loan was agreed in principle with a view to a permanent deal.

GETTY IMAGES

The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Sami Khedira - Arsenal/Chelsea

Will he, won’t he, will he, won’t he? Sami Khedira is clearly surplus to requirements at Real Madrid after the arrival of Toni Kroos but his wage demands and fee seem to be getting in the way of a resolution. He is a fantastic player and would be a major coup if he were to arrive at either London club, but this transfer will probably rumble on until deadline day

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Edinson Cavani - Liverpool

Another striker unhappy in Ligue 1, Cavani scored 25 goals for PSG last season but is reported to be unhappy playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Paris. PSG don’t want to sell, but Brendan Rodgers is looking at the top end of the market to replace Luis Suarez and could spend big on Cavani or Falcao

GETTY IMAGES

The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Mehdi Benatia - Manchester United

The classy Moroccan centre-back would perfectly fit the profile as one of the back three in Louis van Gaal's system. The Roma man, believed to be available for about £30m, is very good on the ball, an excellent athlete and a fierce competitor. He is comfortable taking the ball forward and is a threat at set-pieces

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Arturo Vidal - Mancester United

This potential transfer seems to have been rumbling on all summer but appears unlikely. Vidal is supposedly keen on a move and a midfielder of Vidal’s quality would be an upgrade over United’s current crop, but Louis van Gaal is believed to have doubts about the Chilean’s knee

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Petr Cech - Real Madrid/PSG

Jose Mourinho wants Cech to stay in west London but the giant goalkeeper is too good to waste his away on the Chelsea bench. Real Madrid, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain seem the likeliest destinations for the 32-year-old, who is still one of the very, very best in the world

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Mats Hummels - Manchester United

Again, this deal appeared to be dead after Jurgen Klopp said he had no intention to sell and made the World Cup hero his club captain. But rumours for the German centre-back continue to swirl and given United’s defensive woes – Tyler Blackett is not the answer – a huge bid could tempt the Bundesliga side

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Marco Reus - Various

One of the world’s best young players, Reus is being linked with just about every major European club. Manchester United and Liverpool appear to be leading the race in England, but Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and several other clubs would be delighted with the youngster. Reus’ cheap release clause, the cause of all the speculation, doesn’t take effect until next summer, so a big bid may tempt Dortmund to sell now

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Victor Valdes - Liverpool

The former Barcelona goalkeeper is looking for a new club as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury that forced him out of the World Cup. Liverpool are looking for a new goalkeeper after letting go of Pepe Reina, and Valdes would certainly provide competition for No 1 Simon Mignolet should he regain full fitness.

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The 10 biggest transfers that could still happen

Danny Welbeck - Arsenal/Tottenham

The England international is a target for a number of Premier League clubs, but Manchester United are reluctant to strengthen a potential top-four rival with his departure. As a result, any destination will have to cough up a £5m just to take him on loan, while a permanent deal could be largely inflated given his homegrown status.

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The spending showed no signs of slowing as United broke the British transfer record to land Angel Di Maria in a £59.7m deal from Champions League winners Real Madrid, although the blockbuster signing was unable to land Van Gaal his first competitive victory as United drew 0-0 against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

At £59.7m, Angel Di Maria is the most expensive player to move to the Premier League (Getty Images)

With United expected to address their defence as well as the central midfield area, the move for Falcao was nothing short of stunning on Monday morning, just 13 hours before the transfer deadline hits at 11pm tonight.

It means that United’s summer outlay could near the £200m mark by the end of the day if they are to further strengthen their side, and Van Gaal could even overtake Sir Alex Ferguson’s entire Premier League transfer expenditure which stands at £222.7m.

Even though chief executive Ed Woodward announced that United had between £150m-£200m to rebuild the squad this summer, few will have expected such major moves for the likes of Di Maria and Falcao, although fans of the 20-time English champions remain concerned that unless a central midfielder and defender is signed before the clock strikes zero, they will endure a second straight year out of the Champions League.

The Premier League’s Top 10 net spenders

Louis van Gaal’s spending currently totals £141.7m taking into account the Radamel Falcao fee alone (Daley Blind’s transfer has not been included as the deal is yet to be confirmed).

Mark Hughes - £224.6m (Manchester City only)

Sir Alex Ferguson - £222.7m

(Manchester United, Premier League only)

Roberto Mancini - £183.8m (Manchester City)

Jose Mourinho - £174m (Chelsea)

Claudio Ranieri - £167.13m (Chelsea)

Louis van Gaal - £141.7m (Manchester United)

Manuel Pellegrini - £120.71m (Manchester City)

Brendan Rodgers - £120m.13m

(Liverpool)

Carlo Ancelotti - £113.63m (Chelsea)

Rafa Benitez - £105.94m (Liverpool)

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