Chelsea are set to miss out on long-term target Radamel Falcao, after Monaco confirmed they are close the completing the singing of the Atletico Madrid forward.
Falcao is one of the most sought after strikers in Europe at the moment after another stellar season with Atletico, where he helped his side to the Copa Del Rey title and a third-place finish in La Liga.
Chelsea were thought to be the frontrunners for the Colombian international's signature, only for Monaco, under billionaire Russian owner Dmitry Rybolovlev, to make a late, and seemingly successful move.
Monaco assistant manager Jean Petit said the club are close to sealing the Falcao signing and also hopes to bring in four-five new faces in addition to the prolific striker.
"Yes, we are expecting Falcao and four or five other players of his quality," he told Radio RCN.
"We have spoken and we continue to speak with Falcao and his representatives, negotiations are ongoing. We hope to seal a deal as soon as possible.
"Monaco need a player like Falcao because he can help us a lot and because he can attract other top players, and that's the best way of confirming our project is big and interesting.
"Signing Falcao is a big coup, on sporting and media levels, for French football.
"As a footballer Falcao has everything. He has technique, good control of the ball and scores a lot of goals.
"We saw it here in Monaco in the (UEFA) Super Cup final and we were impressed and surprised by his performance and clinical finishing. President Rybolovlev likes Falcao a lot."
With Jose Mourinho expected to take over at Chelsea sooner rather than later, the club will need to identify alternative targets, if they do indeed miss out on Falcao.
Wayne Rooney has been heavily linked with a move with Mourinho known to be a huge fan of the England international.
Rooney has expressed his desire to leave Manchester United in the summer, but it is unlikely that the English Premier League champions will agree to sell to a title rival, unless of course they receive an over-the-top offer.
Mario Gomez of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund hitman Robert Lewandowski have also been linked with moves, and it will be interesting to see who Chelsea bring in, with the likes of Fernando Torre, Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku already in their books.
