LONDON -- Radamel Falcao has clinched a deal to stay in the English Premier League at champion Chelsea on a season-long loan from Monaco despite a lacklustre stint at Manchester United.

United rejected the opportunity to permanently sign the Colombia striker, who scored four goals in 29 appearances.

The 29-year-old Falcao is being reunited at Chelsea with former Atletico Madrid teammates Thibaut Courtois, Filipe Luis, and Diego Costa.

Falcao says he "can't wait to start training and help with our aim of retaining the league title and being successful in Europe."

Falcao hasn't managed to reproduce the explosive pace and movement that made him stand out during prolific spells with Porto and Atletico. He doesn't appear to have recovered fully from the serious knee injury that ruled him out of the 2014 World Cup.