Carlo Ancelotti has no concerns around the contract situations of several of his veteran Real Madrid stars, with Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos all now into the final 12 months of their existing deals.

The transfer window closed on Thursday, leaving Madrid coach Ancelotti with a squad to work with at least until January.

But there remains work to do in the coming months if this hugely successful group is to stay together beyond the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Madrid have a host of players out of contract at the end of the season; some, like Marco Asensio, seem certain to leave, but Benzema, Modric, Kroos and Nacho are all key men.

Benzema is reportedly expected to sign a one-year extension, however, while Modric has done so in each of the past two years.

And Ancelotti sees this approach as sensible, remaining confident these top performers will stay at the Santiago Bernabeu as long as they are wanted.

"There are some players who are in the final year of their contract with the club, but that's not an issue," he said.

Ancelotti added: "You look at Modric, Kroos, Karim, Nacho, these are players who want to stay here until they finish their careers, sometimes signing one-year contracts.

"I don't think having a player in the final year of his contract is an issue.

"There are a lot of clubs who have players in their final year of contract, because you've got to look at the economy of a club and how clubs are run.

"That's why now we're seeing more players reach their final year of contract.

"Look at our veteran players and what we do with them, bringing in their contracts on a yearly basis."

Michy Batshuayi was poised to complete a move to Fenerbahce on Friday after finding himself frozen out at Chelsea.

The Belgium striker had a successful loan spell with Besiktas last season and was linked with Nottingham Forest this week, before that City Ground switch failed to come to fruition.

It has since emerged he is heading back to Turkey's Super Lig to join Fenerbahce, who announced his impending arrival.

Fenerbahce – fierce rivals of Besiktas – said in a statement: "Our club has reached an agreement with his club for the transfer of Michy Batshuayi to our team.

"The footballer is coming to Istanbul to conduct negotiations, undergo a medical checkup and continue the process."

Batshuayi will be seeking regular club football to ensure he is in optimum shape in time for the World Cup in Qatar in November.

With a year remaining on his Chelsea contract, he looked to have no first-team future at Stamford Bridge, particularly after the Premier League club brought in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona on Thursday.

Batshuayi has been a Chelsea player since 2016 but has started just five Premier League games for the Blues, while making 45 appearances off the bench in the competition.

He scored eight goals in the league for Chelsea but has not featured since the 2019-20 season, being farmed out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Crystal Palace and latterly Besiktas.

With his contract at Chelsea due to expire next June, a fresh started awaited the 28-year-old former Marseille player as he headed back to Turkey to put the finishing touches to his latest move.

Steven Gerrard has backed Aston Villa's decision not to sell Douglas Luiz to Arsenal on deadline day and does not foresee the failed transfer being an issue for the Brazil international.

Arsenal were widely reported to have made a move for Douglas Luiz on Thursday due to injury problems in their midfield.

It was claimed Villa were firmly opposed to a sale at a price Arsenal were willing to go to, though.

A bid of around £20million was said to be lodged, but Villa were instead holding out for £40m for a player in the final year of his contract.

Even with Gerrard's men bringing in fellow midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Wolves, no deal could be done, perhaps leaving Douglas Luiz a little disappointed.

"Knowing the boy and the player, I doubt it [will be an issue]," Gerrard said ahead of Saturday's game against Manchester City.

"I've got confidence he'll understand the situation and the club's decision, that we didn't want to lose a very important player and a top player so late in the window.

"From a personal point of view, I very much back the club's decision and stance on that.

"I spoke to Dougie face to face yesterday – he understood where it was at and the position that the club was in. He very much respects the decision.

"Hopefully it'll calm down in the hours and days coming and he'll be fine moving forward."

Real Sociedad were delighted to land their two priority targets in Alexander Sorloth and Umar Sadiq after the late sale of Alexander Isak prompted a frantic final week of the transfer window.

La Real sold star striker Isak to Newcastle United last Friday in a club-record €70million deal.

That move happened quickly, with Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay confirming the club had expected to keep Isak in this window as recently as the previous weekend.

"It has been a difficult week," he said, presenting Sadiq as a Sociedad player after his signing from Almeria was secured on Thursday.

"It's been a summer full of rumours. When a player's [Isak's] agent tells you on a Monday at 10pm that he's coming to San Sebastian with a club the next day, the first thing you think of is that they have an agreement between them.

"We had a week left and we thought about Real Sociedad; it was not the time to discuss too much but to take action."

He added: "On Sunday, we didn't think that Alex was going to leave; on Monday, we started the talks [with Newcastle]; on Tuesday, we concluded them; and on Wednesday, we started working on the signings."

Fortunately, La Real had a plan, having first fielded interest from Newcastle in Isak earlier in the window.

"We thought we were going to sign two players, which is what we had thought of in June," Aperribay said. "We thought of Sorloth on loan and Sadiq to replace Isak.

"We started those conversations, first with Leipzig and then with Almeria."

Sorloth, who had spent last season on loan at Sociedad, scoring four LaLiga goals alongside Isak, quickly returned on another temporary deal.

But the €20m move for Sadiq took a little more time, concluded after "an intense 48 hours".

Now, though, Imanol's side are in a position of strength, having made a huge profit on Isak while bringing in a player in Sadiq who scored 38 goals across two seasons in the second tier with Almeria and has already added two in three games in LaLiga this term.

His signing was crucial, as fellow attackers Carlos Fernandez and Mikel Oyarzabal remain out injured.

"We had to be aware that when you come out of an injury you don't go from nought to 100," Aperribay said. "We have to support the youngsters and be patient with Carlos and Oyarzabal. That's how we approach the season."

He added: "Sadiq was the first on the list. We knew that with Isak we had a risk that became a reality last week, and we have acted as planned."

With the transfer window closing on Thursday, some clubs will be scrambling to assess their options.

There may be some movement of free agents still, while clubs who missed out on targets will be weighing up their chances in January with contractual situations evolving.

Inter defender Milan Skriniar is one player who was heavily pursued without success and who will have only six months left on his contract at the turn of the year. 

TOP STORY – PSG TO PERSIST IN SKRINIAR PURSUIT IN JANUARY

Paris Saint-Germain will revive their failed pursuit of Milan Skriniar in January, according to L'Equipe.

PSG made three offers for the Slovakian defender which were rebuffed by the Italian giants, including one worth €50million.

Skriniar is into the final year of his Inter deal and PSG boss Christophe Galtier had been eager to bring him to the French capital.

ROUND-UP

– Napoli will try to sign PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas again in January after missing out on him, reports L'Equipe. The report claims the Costa Rica international and PSG may opt to terminate his contract by mutual consent before January.

– Marco Asensio had been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks but he has committed to seeing out his Real Madrid contract which expires in mid-2023, according to Mundo Deportivo.

– The Telegraph reports Blackburn Rovers will be open to pre-contract offers to their hot property forward Ben Brereton Diaz in January after rejecting bids from Fulham and Everton. The Chile international has less than 12 months remaining on his deal at Ewood Park.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has rejected the notion that Cristiano Ronaldo needs to accept being a bit-part player after failing to secure a move away from Old Trafford.

Ronaldo had tried to engineer a move away from Old Trafford after requesting a transfer, but failed to find a suitor to satisfy his desire for Champions League football and to challenge for trophies prior to the window closing on Thursday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who has another year on his United contract, was used off the bench in a 26-minute cameo in United's 1-0 win at Leicester City on Thursday. Ronaldo has only made one start this Premier League season, with four appearances off the bench.

The 37-year-old missed United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, and Ten Hag suggested that regaining match conditioning was behind his substitute role rather than falling down the pecking order, and that he may come into the starting XI in coming weeks.

"It is really early in the season," Ten Hag said. "We have a squad, more than 11 starting XI players. That's what you see now.

"Players who are now on the bench can play in one, two or three weeks.

"We are raising a team, they are sticking together, they fight for each other, cooperate. Now we have to step up further."

Ronaldo is yet to score this term for United, but netted 24 goals from 38 appearances in all competitions last season, including a team-high 18 Premier League goals.

The Portuguese icon had been linked with Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Sporting CP, Napoli and Bayern Munich in recent weeks but nothing materialised.

Chelsea have farewelled Spanish left-back Marcos Alonso, announcing on Thursday that it was "mutual consent" leading to his departure.

It has been widely reported that Alonso was included along with a €14million fee in exchange for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, although the Spanish giants are yet to announce Alonso's arrival.

He totalled 29 goals and 23 assists over his six seasons, winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Europa League, Super Cup and Club World Cup in the process.

In the statement from Chelsea – which calls Alonso "a thoughtful and extremely likeable man off the pitch" – they highlight how he followed his father's and grandfather's footsteps in representing Spain on the international level.

"Deployed at left wing-back for 60 per cent of his 212 appearances, and at left-back for the rest, Alonso was confident in possession, strong in the air and an excellent set-piece taker," it reads.

"His performances for Chelsea earned him a call-up to the Spain squad for the first time in March 2018, following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. The youngest Marcos Alonso leaves having represented his country on nine occasions.

"Everyone at Chelsea Football Club would like to thank Marcos for his service to the Blues and wish him all the very best for the rest of his career."

Chelsea have completed the signing of Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria on a season-long loan deal.

The Switzerland international will spend the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign at Stamford Bridge, while it has been reported there will be an option to buy in the deal.

Chelsea were in the market for a midfielder, with Thomas Tuchel keen to bolster the area in the wake of N'Golo Kante's injury issues.

They had been linked with a move for PSV's Ibrahim Sangare, though instead turned their focus to Zakaria on Thursday.

Zakaria joined Juventus from Borussia Monchengladbach on a four-and-a-half-year contract in January, scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win over Hellas Verona.

The defensive midfielder suffered an abductor injury in February and has only made 15 appearances for Juventus across all competitions,

He has started just once in Serie A this season – that coming in the opening-day victory over Sassuolo.

"I want to say hi to all the Chelsea fans. I'm very happy and proud to be a Blue and I cannot wait to see you soon at Stamford Bridge," said Zakaria.

Zakaria was Chelsea's second arrival of the final day of the transfer window, after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, and could make his Chelsea debut when the Blues welcome West Ham to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday.

His arrival finishes off a busy window, with Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Kouilbaly and Wesley Fofana joining too.

Brighton and Hove Albion have signed Billy Gilmour from Chelsea for a fee reported to be in the region of £7million, rising to £10m with add-ons.

Scotland international Gilmour was seen as one of Chelsea's brightest prospects when he broke through in the 2019-20 season under Frank Lampard.

Yet Gilmour struggled to build on that impressive early form and was loaned out to Norwich City last term. He made 24 Premier League appearances as the Canaries were relegated to the Championship.

The 21-year-old midfielder was considered surplus to requirements by Thomas Tuchel on his return to Stamford Bridge, and has now made a permanent switch to Brighton.

He has signed a four-year deal with the Seagulls, with head coach Graham Potter thrilled with the signing.

"Billy arrives with a fantastic pedigree, having played in the Premier League and Champions League as well as for Scotland at last year's Euros. He will complement our existing midfield options," said Potter.

"That experience at quite a young age shows the strength of character he has and we're really excited by his potential.

"Now it's about allowing him the time to get used to a new environment and settling in to our club. We can't wait to work with him."

The transfer window has been gently eased shut, and there were plenty of last-minute deals to keep fans across Europe captivated.

Southampton were busy, adding Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Duje Caleta-Car to their ranks, among others, while Barcelona allowed Martin Braithwaite to join Espanyol on a free transfer and sold Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Chelsea.

As the seconds ticked down, clubs dotted their i's, crossed their t's and blew the dust off their fax machines, and here is just some of what took place in the closing hours.

Busy Saints bring in four, lose one

As far as the Premier League goes, it was Southampton who got up to the most activity in the final moments, signing Maitland-Niles on loan from Arsenal and Caleta-Car permanently from Marseille on a four-year deal, as well as adding two Manchester City youngsters in Juan Larios and Sam Edozie. They let defender Yan Valery to Ligue 1 side Angers.

Brighton and Hove Albion completed the signing of Billy Gilmour from Chelsea and released Romanian striker Florin Andone, while Chelsea let Ethan Ampadu join Serie A side Spezia on loan and finally allowed Kenedy to depart Stamford Bridge after seven years to join Real Valladolid in LaLiga.

Carlos Vinicius returned to the Premier League after a loan spell with Tottenham in 2020-21, having joined Fulham from Benfica on a permanent deal. The Cottagers also completed a loan deal for Leeds United winger Daniel James.

The Whites were frustrated in their attempts to sign Bamba Dieng from Marseille, but instead clinched a deal for Italian youngster Wilfried Gnonto from FC Zurich for an undisclosed fee.

Nottingham Forest added signings number 20 and 21 of the window in Josh Bowler from Blackpool and Loic Bade from Rennes, with free agent Serge Aurier potentially making it 22, though a reported late move for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi failed to materialise.

Jan Bednarek had been linked with a move to West Ham earlier in the day but ended up leaving Southampton on loan to another team in claret and blue as Aston Villa brought in the Polish defender.

Brooks was here, now he's in Lisbon

On the continent, Benfica completed the signing of American defender John Brooks from Wolfsburg, while Maxi Gomez left Valencia for Turkish side Trabzonspor.

Los Che brought in a replacement for Gomez in Justin Kluivert on loan from Roma after his move to Fulham fell through due to work permit issues.

In France, highly rated forward Amine Gouiri swapped Nice for Rennes in a reported club-record fee apparently worth €28million, while Lille secured a loan deal for Everton midfielder Andre Gomes.

As well as signing Aubameyang and Hector Bellerin and losing Braithwaite, Barcelona also said goodbye on a temporary basis to Ez Abde, who joined Osasuna on loan.

Milan have confirmed the capture of Barcelona defender Sergino Dest on a season-long loan deal, with a reported €20million option to make it a permanent transfer for the Serie A champions.

United States international Dest makes the move from Camp Nou to San Siro after two seasons with the Blaugrana, where he was a member of their 2021 Copa del Rey triumph under Ronald Koeman.

But opportunities have proved more limited since Xavi succeeded the Dutchman at the helm and a succession of hamstring issues seriously hampered the 21-year-old's progress last term.

Now, he will move to Serie A from LaLiga as he looks to pick up crucial minutes ahead of the USMNT's campaign at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with the versatile back looking to ensure he is on the plane to the tournament.

He joins as Milan's second recruit of deadline day, with the Serie A champions also landing Aster Kranckx from Wolfsburg - again on loan with an option to purchase.

The Belgian youth international moved to the Bundesliga side in 2020 from KV Mechelen and, alongside Dest, takes the number of signings for Milan in the window to seven.

The defending champions stand undefeated in their opening four matches of their title defence, picking up eight points, and face arch-rivals Inter on Saturday.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, seeing the forward reunite with his former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.

Tuchel's side have been in the market for attacking reinforcements since allowing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to return to their respective former clubs, Inter and RB Leipzig, after disappointing spells in west London.

Aubameyang enjoyed a successful half-season in LaLiga after leaving Arsenal in January, scoring 11 goals in 17 league appearances for Barca last term – a tally only bettered by Memphis Depay (12 goals in 28 games).

That form has persuaded Chelsea to agree a deal worth £10.3million (€12m) for the striker, who has signed a two-year contract with the Blues.

It is expected that Marcos Alonso will head in the other direction, though seemingly as a separate deal.

After the signing was announced, Aubameyang told the club's website: "I'm really happy. It's an honour to be part of this team and I can't wait to start. I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it's good to be back and really exciting."

Aubameyang will hope a reunion with Tuchel allows him to rediscover the goalscoring form that convinced Arsenal to part with a then-club record fee for his services back in 2018.

The Gabon international has scored more league goals (56) and recorded more goal contributions (63) under Tuchel than any other coach in his career to date.

Aubameyang racked up those figures in just 63 games under Tuchel at Dortmund, averaging a goal every 94 minutes in league action during the German's spell as Dortmund boss – also a career-high figure.

Earlier this month, Tuchel insisted he had no concerns about Aubameyang's attitude despite his difficulties at Arsenal.

"We had a very close relationship. Always when we played him here with Arsenal, there was always straight away this close bond," Tuchel said. "They stay your players, in a way, and Auba is one of these guys."

The 33-year-old could make his Chelsea debut against Leicester City on Saturday, with the Blues eyeing a response after suffering a chastening 3-0 loss at Leeds United last time out.

Everton have signed midfielder James Garner from Manchester United in a deal reportedly worth up to £15million.

Garner spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, scoring four goals and providing 10 assists to help the club win promotion to the Premier League.

He was expected to be given a chance to impress new United manager Erik ten Hag, but he signed a four-year deal with the Toffees on Thursday after completing a transfer apparently worth an initial £9m.

"I'm made up to sign for Everton. It's a huge step in my career and I want to help the team get better while progressing as a player," Garner told Everton's official website.

"I think Everton is the perfect place to do that. I can't wait to get started. The manager [Frank Lampard] has got a real plan for the club and for me.

"Working with him on a daily basis is major for me. Him and his staff can take me and the team to the next level. That's what I'm hoping for."

Garner will have one less midfielder to compete with for a spot in the starting XI after Andre Gomes joined Lille on loan for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, there was another exit from United on deadline day, with Tahith Chong joining Championship side Birmingham City on a four-year deal.

Chong spent last season on loan at the Blues, scoring one goal in 20 appearances.  

Barcelona have completed the signing of full-back Hector Bellerin following an agreement with Arsenal to terminate his contract.

The 27-year-old joined the Gunners from Barca's youth ranks in 2011 and graduated from Arsenal's academy to become a regular in the first-team squad.

Named in the PFA Team of the Year in the 2015-16 season, Bellerin won the FA Cup three times with Arsenal, but ultimately fell out of favour under Mikel Arteta.

He joined Real Betis on loan last season, making 23 LaLiga appearances and helping Manuel Pellegrini's team win the Copa del Rey.

Betis were reportedly keen on signing Bellerin on a permanent basis but were unable to do so due to his wage demands, while Sassuolo were eager to bring him to Italy.

However, Barca have completed the move on a free transfer after Arsenal agreed to terminate his contract, which had one year left to run, having done similar to land Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.

Bellerin adds to what has been a busy transfer period for Xavi at Barcelona, who have signed the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha, with Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso also on the way.

Arteta told Arsenal's official website: "We say goodbye to Hector and we thank him so much for his loyalty and commitment to Arsenal Football Club. During his 11 years with Arsenal, Hector won three FA Cups and made nearly 250 appearances – such a huge contribution to the club.

"I'm privileged to have played in the same squad as Hector for three seasons, wearing the Arsenal shirt and sharing many great moments on and off the football pitch together. We thank you Hector and wish you and your family all the best for your return to Barcelona."

Memphis Depay has pledged his immediate future to Barcelona and says he is committed to the club's "sporting success."

The Netherlands international has yet to feature for the Catalan giants this season, and had been linked with a move to Serie A side Juventus.

Premier League clubs Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle United were also rumoured to be interested in signing the former Manchester United and Lyon forward.

However, the 28-year-old took to social media on Thursday to confirm he will not be leaving Camp Nou, posting on Twitter: "I have decided to stay at Barca! Fully committed to contribute to the club's sporting success."

One player who did leave Barca on transfer deadline day was Martin Braithwaite, who joined LaLiga rivals Espanyol.

The 31-year-old joined the club from Leganes in February 2020, with Barca having been granted an emergency extension to complete the signing outside of the transfer window following an injury to Ousmane Dembele.

Braithwaite made an impact in the 2020-21 season, scoring a brace in the Champions League against Dynamo Kyiv, but an injury last term led to an extended absence.

It was confirmed earlier on Thursday that the Denmark striker's contract had been terminated.