Radamel Falcao Urged to Join Manchester United

Former Colombia international Faustino Asprilla has urged compatriot Radamel Falcao to sign for Manchester United, despite interest from Chelsea. The west London club are believed to have offered a £46m fee and £200,000 per week salary for his services.

Nevertheless, the 43-year-old Asprilla, who spent two seasons with Newcastle United in 1996, believes United will give Falcao a better chance to win trophies on a regular basis.

"With teams like Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City they have good times then they have bad times - that is why I told him he must choose Manchester United. Every season they are challenging - and if he wants success that is where I have told him to go," Asprilla explained. The ex-Magpie also said United enjoyed greater internal stability than any of their rivals, pointing to Sir Alex Ferguson's 23 years at Old Trafford.

Falcao has enjoyed breathtaking success since his transfer from Portuguese club FC Porto, scoring 50 goals in 63 La Liga games. The 27-year-old striker's goal scoring record has been comparable to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom have re-written record charts in Spain, for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

The Colombian's form attracted significant attention from the Blues after he scored a hat-trick against them in the UEFA Super Cup final last summer and he was also linked to Manchester City. In addition, Spanish newspaper Fichajes believes Madrid remain interested as well.

For his part though, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed rumours of a bid for Falcao. The Scot spent £24m on signing for former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie last summer and the Dutch international returned 25 goals and eight assists in his first season at the club. Space for another high-profile striker at Old Trafford is therefore severely limited.

Ferguson's remarks, if true, would also negate any move for Polish international Robert Lewandowski. The Borussia Dortmund star was strongly linked with a move to United and is believed to be one of two signings Ferguson has in mind for the summer.

Falcao = Alan Shearer

Meanwhile, Asprilla also compared Falcao to former England striker Alan Shearer. The Colombian played with Shearer during his time at St James' Park and believes the 42-year-old to be the best finishers of the time.

"It is difficult for me to explain how good he is - he is the best finisher in the world. The only striker who has played in the Premier League who is on his finishing level is Alan Shearer... Robin van Persie and Radamel would be unstoppable," he explained.