A few weeks ago, Radamel Falcao appeared to be a man with few options. Unwanted by loan club Manchester United after resembling anything but a £55million striker during his time at Old Trafford, unwilling to return to parent club Monaco, who forked out that eye-watering fee for his services two summers ago, and unlikely to attract interest from Europe's top clubs at the age of 29, following two seasons of turbulent form and niggling injuries.

But Premier League champions Chelsea have emerged from the woodwork to offer the Colombian international, once revered as the most clinical finisher in world football, a vital lifeline. According to reports from The Independent, Falcao and the Blues are in 'advanced talks' regarding a loan for next season. So what does this fallen great still have to offer the west Londoners?

As aforementioned, the Colombian international has just come to the end of a year-long tenure at Manchester United, which proved to be the second-least proficient campaigns of his entire career. During the 2006/07 season at River Plate, he netted just twice in 20 appearances whilst still a teenager. Despite his ascendance to world-class status since, he managed just one more in an extra nine outings for the Red Devils.

Considering the incredible hauls he racked up at FC Porto and Atletico Madrid, 72 in 87 and 70 in 91 respectively, and the sheer quality of his many goals, one can only assume injuries were a significant factor at United this season. Falcao endured a thigh injury after just a handful of games for Monaco last term and picked up a knee injury in January 2014 that ruled him out of the World Cup. He arrived at Old Trafford unfit, ring rusty and on the final hours of summer deadline day, so the South American was always playing catch-up with the rest of the squad - and the Premier League in general.

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But Chelsea were believed not to have bid for Falcao during summer 2013 because they feared he lacked the presence often required of centre-forwards in the Premier League and that prophecy certainly proved true during the 2014/15 campaign. Although at times he was busy and driven in the final third - other times, not so much - Falcao struggled to stretch defences or impose himself on the opposition.

He's only ever needed half a yard to apply a deadly finish, but yet to recover the full extremities of his netting prowess, a lack of all-round physicality severely reduced his ability to make simple chances. Now 29 years of age and after such substantial injury problems, Falcao will never possess the athleticism of his many Premier League counter-parts.

That being said, Falcao's pedigree remains undoubted, and even amid his barren runs for United, it always felt like just one moment of good fortune could have quickly turned his form around.

Likewise, Manchester United's style of play and their regular starting Xi wasn't particularly accommodating of the two-time Europa League winner.  The Red Devils have lacked penetrative threat going forward all season, barring the overlapping runs of full-backs Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia, but at Chelsea Falcao will be surrounded by the likes of Eden Hazard, Willian, Oscar, Juan Cuadrado and Loic Remy, who are all more than capable of stretching defences and creating space for him.

Furthermore, the calibre of striker the Blues are searching for this summer forms a rather niche category. Some of the other names doing the rounds include the likes of Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor and Liverpool's Rickie Lambert. In a nutshell, they want someone proven and experienced at the top level - Mourinho will undoubtedly be eyeing a Champions League title bid after domestic success this season - but who is also prepared to play second (or potentially third) fiddle to top scorer Diego Costa.

At the moment, Falcao doesn't have much of a choice. His wages are astronomical - £265k per-week at United - and will be impossible to justify for the majority of top clubs, unless he returns to the form of old and plays on a bi-weekly basis. Chelsea are amongst Europe's healthiest in terms of room for manoeuvre under Financial Fair Play, so they can probably afford the Colombian's salary without worrying about its cost-effectiveness.

Without question, it's still very much a punt on Chelsea's part. But with two fantastic strikers already on the books in Remy and Costa, it's one they can afford to take. If Jose Mourinho can restore Falcao to half the striker he was just three years ago - and particularly, if he can get him to produce the goods despite limited playing time - the Colombian will be well worth his wages.

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