LONDON – Manchester United loaned out Javier Hernandez and was preparing to tie up deals for Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind as the 20-time English champions continued their squad rebuilding on a slow start to transfer deadline day in the Premier League.
With its top-four rivals staying quiet on the final day of the summer transfer window, United remained busy by sending Hernandez on a season-long loan to Real Madrid to end the Mexico striker's four-year stay at Old Trafford.
In Hernandez's place, United was ready to sign Colombia striker Falcao on loan for the rest of the season from Monaco, adding another world-class striker to a forward line that already includes Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney.
The deal will cost United about $9 million and is subject to a medical examination and personal terms being agreed to, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been completed.
United was also likely to complete the signing of Blind after announcing Saturday it had reached an agreement with Ajax for the Netherlands international.
The arrivals of Falcao and Blind would take United's spending in this transfer window to more than 150 million pounds ($250 million) as the club looks to reverse its decline since the retirement of Alex Ferguson as manager in May 2013.
Around 740 million pounds ($1.2 billion) had already been spent by Premier League clubs before deadline day — a record figure — and Hull added to that by signing Uruguay striker Abel Hernandez from Italian side Palermo for a club-record fee reportedly in the region of 9.5 million pounds ($15.8 million).
The 24-year-old Hernandez, who has signed a three-year deal, was part of Uruguay's World Cup squad this summer.
"Abel is a fantastic signing and highlights just how far the club has come in such a short space of time," said Hull manager Steve Bruce, whose side was eliminated from the Europa League in the final qualifying round laast week.
Hull sold midfielder George Boyd to Premier League newcomer Burnley, which also signed Chelsea midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah on loan until January.
Tottenham loaned German midfielder Lewis Holtby to Hamburg for a year with a view to a permanent transfer and completed the signing of defender Benjamin Stambouli from Montpellier.
Southampton terminated the season-long loan of Inter Milan's Saphir Taider less than a month into the arrangement, saying the 22-year-old Algeria midfielder had "failed to live up to the high levels of commitment expected of Southampton players."
Karim El Ahmadi left Aston Villa to return to Feyenoord on a three-year deal.
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