Manchester United Make Shock Bid to Sign Arsenal and Manchester City Target Radamel Falcao

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Manchester United are preparing a shock move to sign AS Monaco star striker Radamel Falcao, according to the French media outlet RMC Sport.

The Colombian international joined the Ligue 1 outfit last summer and has been linked with a move away from his current employers after completing a year at Monaco. He has been attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been interested in signing Falcao on the final day of the transfer window, but would have to pay around £55m for the striker's signature.

A Mirror report suggests City's hopes of signing the South American hotshot depend on whether they can offload Alvaro Negredo to Valencia. Failure to offload the Spain international would force them to end their interest in Falcao.

The 28-year-old was linked with a move to Real Madrid and he even tweeted regarding his switch to the Spanish capital – only to delete it later. However, the Champions League winners are believed to now be preparing an approach for United striker Javier Hernandez.

Another United striker, Danny Welbeck, is also closing in on a loan switch to Tottenham Hotspur. If both players exit Old Trafford, it will leave Louis van Gaal with only two senior strikers - Robin van Persie and skipper Wayne Rooney.

The French report claims that Falcao's agent Jorge Mendes is engineering a move for his client. He has been in talks with the Red Devils to help Falcao join United before the transfer window shuts.

The Red Devils are also keen on signing the star striker. However, the 20-time English champions want to be sure that he has completely recovered from a serious knee injury he suffered last season.

The former Porto star is likely to leave Stade Louis II and will not play for the Ligue 1 champions this season. United officials have already made contact with Mendes and it is likely that Falcao will leave Monaco before the window shuts.

Should the report be true, it will be a massive blow to Arsenal and City, who have been hoping to land Falcao on Monday.