Pasalic sent to Monaco to set up Falcao deal

A fairly major part of the Falcao deal appears to have fallen into place today, as young Chelsea prospect Mario Pasalic signed a loan deal with Monaco.  We had heard that the 20-year-old was undergoing a medical earlier today; his pen-hand was deemed in good enough condition to sign on the dotted line.

Chelsea player Mario Pasalic completes loan move to AS Monaco #CFC #ASM (via @DiMarzio ) pic.twitter.com/nLhiN6xZ8K

— Pourush Turel (@MikelsBackheel) July 2, 2015

Pasalic was a first-choice player for a fairly bad Elche side last season, but was key in the club managing to avoid relegation from La Liga.  Of course Elche were then relegated anyway due to financial and administrative issues.  In any case, the midfielder will now try his hand at slightly higher level football, one that should include European games, too, starting at the Champions League third qualifying round.  As far as we know, it's just a simple one-year loan for Pasalic.

Pasalic's loan to Monaco has been a rumored component of the impending Falcao deal since almost the very beginning.  Some say others might follow, but for now, only he is serving as the makeweight.  So, one more step closer to Falcao.  Good luck, Mario!