CHELSEA produced the biggest surprise of the summer transfer window by re-signing David Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day as Manchester City streamlined its bloated squad by sending a quartet out on loan.

    Arsenal and Liverpool also offloaded unwanted players Wednesday.

    Jack Wilshere is heading on a season-long loan from Arsenal to Bournemouth, which wasn’t in the Premier League when the injury-plagued midfielder last completed 90 minutes of club soccer in September 2014. Liverpool got troubled striker Mario Balotelli off its books, with the Italian joining French club Nice.

    It was a busy final day of player trading for Premier League clubs, which have collectively spent more than 1 billion pounds (US$1.3 billion) for the first time in a transfer window as they reinvest their new bumper television windfalls.

    Of the 20 top-flight clubs, 13 broke their transfer records.

    Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been looking to bolster his defense to steer Chelsea back into the Champions League. And a club renowned for bringing back former managers and players went back to the future again by pursuing an unexpected deal to return Brazil central defender Luiz to Stamford Bridge on a three-year contract.

    British media reports put the transfer fee at around 32 million pounds, about 20 million pounds less than Chelsea sold Luiz for in the 2014 summer transfer window.

    “We had a fantastic story during my first time at the club and I want to help the team and Antonio Conte achieve a lot of success,” said Luiz, a Champions League winner in 2012 at Chelsea. “I always had a wonderful relationship with the fans and I am looking forward to wearing the blue shirt at Stamford Bridge once again.”

    Spanish left back Marcos Alonso also joined Chelsea for a reported 23 million pounds to provide competition at left back for Cesar Azpilicueta.

    After an offseason of heavy spending under new coach Pep Guardiola, Manchester City sent Joe Hart, Wilfried Bony, Samir Nasri, Eliaquim Mangala and Jason Denayer out on loan for the rest of the season.

    Guardiola has overseen the spending of more than US$200 million on new players since taking over as City coach this offseason, and left it late to trim his 30-man squad. It meant getting rid of City’s starting goalkeeper for the past six years, as well as three other players who cost the team a combined 95 million pounds.

    Heading the clear-out was Hart, the England goalkeeper who was loaned to Italian club Torino. Hart was out of favor at the Premier League leaders because his footwork and passing wasn’t up to the level demanded by Guardiola, who likes goalkeepers to help start attacks and be involved in play.

    (SD-Agencies)