(MENAFN- Arab Times) PARIS Sept 1 (Agencies): Manchester United swooped on Monday to make striker Radamel Falcao the biggest signing on the last day of Europe's record-breaking summer transfer window. The Colombian flew to Manchester to undergo a medical to seal an initial one-year loan move from Monaco British media said with the deal set to push United's spending since the opening of the transfer market on June 9 above 150 million ($250m 190m euros). Teams from the top leagues in England Spain Germany Italy and France the nations that dominate Europe's football economy had laid out more than $2.1 billion during the transfer window up to Monday. United have been Europe's biggest spenders ahead of Spain's Real Madrid. The Old Trafford club have agreed a deal to sign Dutch defender Daley Blind from Ajax Amsterdam and have also brought in Argentine international Angel di Maria from Real Madrid for 59 million Spanish under-21 international Ander Herrera England defender Luke Shaw and Argentina's Marcos Rojo. The arrival of 28-year-old Falcao came as several players headed for the exit at United who have failed to win any of their first three games in the Premier League. Mexican striker Javier Hernandez joined Real Madrid on a season-long loan while England striker Danny Welbeck was also tipped to leave United during the day and Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa returned to former club Borussia Dortmund on Sunday. Manchester City's England defender Micah Richards was in Italy for a medical with Fiorentina the Italian side said after Chelsea's Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel had joined AC Milan. Italian international attacker Alessio Cerci moved from Torino to Atletico Madrid who have signed 10 players for their bid to defend the Spanish title. However Atletico's Belgian international defender Toby Alderweireld went to Southampton to complete a move to the English Premier League side media reports said. Smashed According to FIFA Transfer Matching System which monitors the global market the big five leagues have already smashed the $2.02 billion spent on last year's transfer market. Spending is dramatically higher this year in England Spain and to a lesser degree Germany. According to Deloitte's sports business group more than $1.2 billion had been spent by England's 20 Premier League clubs up to Friday. That was already more than $165 million above last year's transfer window and British media said the total figure would pass $1.33 billion by the end of Monday. Behind United Liverpool have also spent more than $190 million (with the biggest outlays to buy Adam Lallana Lazar Markovic and Dejan Lovren). Chelsea have laid out more than $125 million (including for Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa) and Arsenal more than $103 million. English clubs have spent about $300 million on Spanish players. But according to FIFA current spending in Spain is closing on $600 million and already three times higher than last year's summer transfer window. Unsurprisingly Real Madrid and Barcelona have accounted for most of the spending. Barcelona paid Liverpool more than $125 million for Luis Suarez while Real Madrid spent a reported $108 million on Monaco's James Rodriguez and more than $35 million on German World Cup midfielder Toni Kroos. The market has fallen dramatically in Italy and France where the poor economy and UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations have hit the football business. Top French sides Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco have spent 75% less this year on new players than in the 2013 transfer window although while the latter have been desperate to reduce their wage bill PSG did spend a reported $65 million on Chelsea and Brazil defender David Luiz. Meanwhile spending by Italian clubs approaching $200 million is 45% down on last year. The biggest reported outlay was the 22 million euros spent by Roma to sign Argentine forward Juan Manuel Iturbe from Verona. Premier League club Hull City announced on Monday that they have signed Uruguay international striker Abel Hernandez from Italian side Palermo for 'a club-record fee'. The 24-year-old has signed a three-year contract with an option for a further year and is believed to have cost last season's beaten FA Cup finalists around 9.5 million ($15.8 million 12 million euros). 'Abel is a fantastic signing and highlights just how far the club has come in such a short space of time' Hull manager Steve Bruce told the club website. 'He is an exciting talent and like myself I'm sure the supporters can't wait to see him in action.' Hernandez who played for Uruguay at this year's World Cup will fill the void created by Shane Long's move to Southampton last month for a fee of around 12 million. Hernandez joined Palermo from Penarol in 2009. He spent five years with the Sicilian club and scored 14 goals last season as they were promoted from Serie B as champions. The striker who has scored seven goals in 14 international appearances is Hull's seventh new signing after Jake Livermore Robert Snodgrass Tom Ince Harry Maguire Andrew Robertson and Michael Dawson. England international defender Micah Richards on Monday agreed to a season's loan to Serie A side Fiorentina from English champions Manchester City. The 26-year-old capped 13 times has gone from being City's player of the year when they won their first Premier League title in 2012 to just a handful of appearances for them in their titlewinning campaign last term as Argentinian rightback Pablo Zabaleta was the undisputed first choice. Fiorentina who finished just outside the Champions League spots last season also signed 25-year-old Slovenian midfielder Jasmin Kurtic on loan from rivals Sassuolo. Tottenham signed former France Under-21 midfielder Benjamin Stambouli from Ligue 1 club Montpellier on Monday. Mauricio Pochettino's team beat fellow Premier League side Swansea and Italian outfit Fiorentina to Stambouli's signature after agreeing a reported fee of 4.7 million ($7.8 million) over the weekend. The 24-year-old watched Tottenham's 3-0 defeat against Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday and sealed his move to the north Londoners after passing a medical on transfer deadline day. Stambouli is Pochettino's sixth signing since his close-season move from Southampton after the arrivals of Federico Fazio DeAndre Yedlin Ben Davies Michel Vorm and Eric Dier. Tottenham tweeted: 'SIGNED! We have completed the transfer of Benjamin Stambouli from Montpellier.' The versatile Stambouli who can play in midfield or defence progressed through the ranks at Montpellier and having made his senior debut in 2010 went on to make 129 appearances in all competitions scoring four goals. He was a key part of the Montpellier side that won the French title in 2011-12. Stambouli won 14 caps for the French Under-21 team but has yet to appear for the senior France side. French striker David N'Gog brought to an end a six year spell in England on Monday by joining Ligue 1 outfit Reims. The 25-year-old who was a free agent after being released by Premier League side Swansea at the end of last season - signed a two year contract with Reims. N'Gog who came through the Paris Saint Germain youth system joined Liverpool in 2008 with the former France Under-21 international spending three seasons there scoring nine goals in 63 appearances. However with the arrivals of Uruguayan star Luis Suarez and England international Andy Carroll in early 2011 he found his opportunities limited and he joined Bolton for 4million ($6.6million 5million euros) but left them in last January's transfer window for Swansea where he only played three times.
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