Transfer round-up: Ligue 1

Monaco moved to fill the void left by the injury to Radamel Falcao on transfer deadline day by signing Dimitar Berbatov on loan from Fulham.

The Bulgarian moves to the principality club until the end of the season and will attempt to help Monaco, who sit second in Ligue 1, win the French title after star striker Falcao suffered ligament damage in a Coupe de France tie in January.

Toulouse defender Aymen Abdennour joins Berbatov at the Stade Louis II, with the Tunisia defender moving to Monaco on loan with a view to a four-year deal at the end of that spell.

Saint-Etienne proved to be the busiest French side on the final day of the transfer window as two of their most promising young stars departed the Stade Geoffroy Guichard.

Centre-back Kurt Zouma joined Chelsea on a five-and-a half-year contract, although the 19-year-old will return to Saint-Etienne on loan for the remainder of the current campaign.

Faouzi Ghoulam is another to have left Christophe Galtier’s side, joining Napoli on a four-and-a-half-year deal, but the left-back has been immediately replaced by former Bordeaux left-back Benoit Tremoulinas, who has signed on a season-long loan from Dynamo Kiev.

However, while Ghoulam has left the Rhone club, midfielder Josuha Guilavogui has returned on loan from Atletico Madrid just four months after linking up with the Spanish side.

UEFA Europa League chasers Bordeaux have bid farewell to midfielder Ludovic Obraniak, the Poland international leaving to join Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen.

Meanwhile, Nantes have bolstered their resources with the captures of striker Itay Shechter and defenders Remi Gomis and Kian Hansen.

Shechter moves to the Stade de la Beaujoire on a six-month loan with a view to a two-year deal, while ex-Nice defender Gomis has signed a contract until 2016 after an tough stint with Spanish side Levante.

Hansen joins from Danish side Esbjerg, where he will spend the remainder of the current campaign.

Elsewhere, relegation threatened Sochaux have signed unattached goalkeeper Yohann Pele and free-agent defender Florian Marange, but have loaned midfielder Abdoul Camara to Mallorca.