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."

Erik ten Hag is happy with the progress Manchester United are making but still wants greater ruthlessness after only beating Leicester City 1-0.

United made it three Premier League wins in a row on Thursday with their slender victory at the King Power Stadium, a streak they had not managed since December.

Jadon Sancho got the only goal of the game in a first half that United generally controlled, but they were unable to increase their lead and that offered Leicester encouragement.

Still, Leicester struggled to take advantage of their own second-half improvement, with United's defence impressing once again with a solid collective effort as the hosts' chances only amounted to 0.6 expected goals.

United might have finished Leicester off towards the end during Cristiano Ronaldo's lively cameo, and although their wasteful finishing mattered little in the end, Ten Hag was not completely satisfied.

"It is another step forward, so we are happy with that," he told BT Sport.

"Again, good team spirit. We had 11 players the on pitch who fought for each other. Compact, good press, and scored a lovely team goal.

"There is room for improvements, still, but that is normal at this part of the season."

He added: "We can be dangerous in transition moments, we know that, especially the second half. And also in first half, there were many spaces that we did not exploit that well. With better decisions we should have scored a second goal.

"We have to be more [ruthless], but, as I said there is room for improvement, and we will work on that."

Sancho's winner was his second Premier League goal of the season, meaning the England international is already only one behind his total for last term.

Ten Hag acknowledged the winger's improved condition but was keen to focus on the collective and the team's unity.

"He had a really good pre-season, he invested a lot in pre-season and now in the season you see he can make the difference.

"He's a great player but also the whole team, because I think it's a good team goal.

"I'm happy with the clean sheet, and you see when we have 11 on the pitch who defend together and attack together, and when you add that in the energy, you see what we can achieve."

United are in action again on Sunday when their improved standing will be put to the test at home to an Arsenal side that have won all five of their games this season.

Manchester United must demonstrate a greater clinical edge following their narrow 1-0 victory over Leicester City, so says Christian Eriksen.

Having opened the season with back-to-back defeats, United made it three consecutive Premier League wins under Erik ten Hag, with Jadon Sancho's 23rd-minute strike enough to settle the contest at the King Power Stadium.

Although fully deserving of their half-time lead, the visitors' level dropped significantly after the restart. David de Gea made a tremendous save from James Maddison's free-kick, while James Justin blazed a wonderful opportunity over in stoppage time.

But Leicester did not enjoy too many clear-cut opportunities, with United's solid defence generally keeping the Premier League's bottom side at bay.

And while Eriksen has urged his team-mates to capitalise when in the ascendancy, he is encouraged by the strides United are making after they recorded successive 1-0 wins in the space of five days.

"From the start we had, we had a lot of things we needed to change, and we've done that by winning," he told BT Sport. "It hasn't been beautiful for 90 minutes, but we have three wins.

"At the moment, we're winning 1-0 and keeping it tight. Obviously, we want to do better, but I think this is a good start and we can take something from this. The three points is the most important.

"Similar to Southampton [on Saturday], we did very well until we scored. Then, we have to keep momentum, we have to kill the game earlier – otherwise, it's going to be a tight game until the end like today.

"We're looking good; we're getting the points and we're getting the base of what we need to do."

Meanwhile, Sancho proved the matchwinner with his second goal of the season, having also netted in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford, applying the finishing touch to a fine team move.

Sancho missed pre-season preparations ahead of his maiden campaign at Old Trafford due to an extended break after helping England reach the Euro 2020 final, and feels he has benefitted from getting a full pre-season under his belt this time around.

"It was a great team goal. I'm happy that I got the goal for the team, and got three points," he said.

"Obviously, doing pre-season with the team [has helped me]. Last year, I missed pre-season, so I got to know the players a lot more [this year]. We've worked on [certain things], and I'm getting more comfortable.

"We hoped to start the season with two wins, but that woke us up. I'm happy that we got the third win today."

Arthur has swapped Juventus for Liverpool in a surprising season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day as Jurgen Klopp bolstered his midfield options.

Reports suggested the deal for the 26-year-old did not include an option to buy, but Juve confirmed that there is indeed a possibility for Liverpool to make the move permanent.

Arthur spent two years at Barcelona before moving to Serie A in 2020 in a €72million deal, but he made just 11 league starts in Italy last season and has not yet featured this term.

The Brazilian had previously been linked with Everton but instead joins the Toffees' city rivals for the rest of the season.

The deal follows Juventus signing Leandro Paredes on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and means a fringe figure can be shuffled out of Massimiliano Allegri's large squad.

Liverpool have been struggling with injuries in midfield, and Arthur, albeit no stranger to an injury himself, adds to their options in that department.

The former Gremio player is a Brazil international who will be hoping to impress at club level to earn a place in Tite's World Cup squad.

Speaking to the club's website after the announcement, Arthur, who will wear the number 29, said: "I'm really, really happy to be here wearing this great shirt with this famous badge that represents so much in world football, it's a dream.

"We talked a lot, and our ideas and visions were a good fit so I'm sure it was the right choice. I'm really happy and highly motivated to continue living my dream on the pitch and giving my all in a Liverpool shirt."

He will be expected to add bite as much as flair to the Liverpool midfield, where he will provide cover for an area where Klopp has seen several players fall to injury already this season.

Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain sidelined, while Jordan Henderson came off with a hamstring issue in Wednesday's 2-1 win against Newcastle United.

Arthur has swapped Juventus for Liverpool in a surprising season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day as Jurgen Klopp bolstered his midfield options.

Reports suggest the deal for the 26-year-old does not include an option to buy.

Arthur spent two years at Barcelona before moving to Serie A in 2020 in a €72million deal, but he made just 11 league starts in Italy last season and has not yet featured this term.

The Brazilian had previously been linked with Everton but instead joins the Toffees' city rivals for the rest of the season.

The deal follows Juventus signing Leandro Paredes on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, and means a fringe figure can be shuffled out of Massimiliano Allegri's large squad.

Liverpool have been struggling with injuries in midfield, and Arthur, albeit no stranger to an injury himself, adds to their options in that department.

The former Gremio player is a Brazil international who will be hoping to impress at club level to earn a place in Tite's World Cup squad.

Speaking to the club's website after the announcement, Arthur - who will wear the number 29 - said: "I'm really, really happy to be here wearing this great shirt with this famous badge that represents so much in world football, it's a dream.

"We talked a lot, and our ideas and visions were a good fit so I'm sure it was the right choice. I'm really happy and highly motivated to continue living my dream on the pitch and giving my all in a Liverpool shirt."

He will be expected to add bite as much as flair to the Liverpool midfield, where he will provide cover for an area where Klopp has seen several players fall to injury already this season.

Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remain sidelined, while Jordan Henderson came off with a hamstring issue in Wednesday's 2-1 win against Newcastle United.

Manchester United have won three Premier League games in a row for the first time this year as they beat Leicester City 1-0 at the King Power Stadium on Thursday.

Although United's performance was by no means flawless, victory moved them up to fifth in the table, with the nightmares of their first two games of the season seemingly a distant memory.

United were fully deserving of the first-half lead that was given to them by Jadon Sancho at the end of an incisive move – though their level dropped significantly after the restart.

Leicester were encouraged and carried greater threat, but clear-cut chances remained at a premium as United's solid backline helped guide the visitors to another win.

United looked sharp right from the start and almost went ahead in the 11th minute, but Christian Eriksen shot into the side-netting after breaking into the left side of the area.

The breakthrough arrived 12 minutes later, though.

Diogo Dalot intercepted Danny Ward's long ball and found Bruno Fernandes, who hurried the ball on to Marcus Rashford and he fed Sancho to round the Leicester goalkeeper and apply a simple finish.

The hosts looked reinvigorated after the break and nearly levelled early on as David de Gea produced an acrobatic save to keep James Maddison's free-kick out of the top-right corner.

Leicester failed to build on that momentum and United – boosted by a lively Cristiano Ronaldo cameo – finished with something of a flurry, though their inability to add a second goal might have been punished had James Justin kept a stoppage-time strike down.

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has told fans on social media the club has "been screwed up" following the collapse of a proposed transfer.

The Premier League side were negotiating to bring Bamba Dieng in from Marseille, with Radrizzani having earlier taken to Twitter to confirm a move was set to go ahead.

Replying to a fan, Radrizzani also acknowledged the intention to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV as Leeds pushed to bolster their attacking ranks before the transfer window shut on Thursday evening.

"Let's welcome Bamba Diang and we will continue to work on Gakpo. Now it's time to focus on the pitch and support our new project and the great job Jesse [Marsch] and the staff are doing," he posted.

However, Leeds' desire to land Diang from the Ligue 1 side fell flat following the emergence of Nice as rivals for the player's signature, leaving the deal at a crossroads.

Diang was reported to have been waiting at an airport while he decided whether he wanted to move to Elland Road or the French Riviera, then apparently electing for the latter option.

Radrizzani then returned to social media to address the situation and claimed they had been "screwed up".

"Part of the madness of deadline day. We have been screwed up, it happens even to the best ones," he said.

"We have done a great market, planned and executed our targets at a very early stage. Keep going."

Leeds have lost just one of their opening five Premier League matches this season and face Brentford on Saturday.

Aston Villa have announced the signing of Leander Dendoncker from Wolves amid rumours Douglas Luiz will join Arsenal before the transfer window closes.

Dendoncker initially joined Wolves on loan from Anderlecht ahead of the 2018-19 season, before making the move permanent ahead of the following campaign.

The 27-year-old, who has been capped 29 times by Belgium, scored 12 goals in 159 appearances across all competitions for Wolves.

He arrives at Villa Park for a reported fee of £13million.

His signature could be a sign that Villa boss Steven Gerrard is prepared to let Douglas Luiz join Arsenal.

The Gunners, who beat Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday, have reportedly had multiple bids for the 24-year-old turned down, but they are expected to make at least one more before the window shuts on Thursday.

Brendan Rodgers believes someone else was behind Wesley Fofana's parting shot at him following the defender's move to Chelsea.

Fofana completed his long-awaited switch from Leicester City to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, signing a seven-year contract after a deal in the region of £75million was struck.

The build up to the defender's departure was not entirely amicable, with Fofana made to train with Leicester's under-23 squad after professing his desire to join Chelsea.

Rodgers declared he was "not in the right frame of mind" to play for the Foxes, and in a message addressing Leicester's supporters on Wednesday, Fofana accused his former manager of trying to "expose" him.

However, Rodgers thinks there is more than meets the eye about his statement.

"It clearly is difficult; I'll always defend players and I'll defend Wesley," he said on BT Sport before Leicester's Premier League clash with Manchester United on Thursday.

"There's a lot of noise out there about him and what was said.

"I never get too emotional with words; I try to look at the logic of it. I know where the statement came from and it is not Wesley Fofana.

"This kid is a good kid. We brought him in here and nobody knew him really. He came here, we gave him a great platform and he was amazing.

"We hoped he would stay on for another year before he moved on, but he has taken the possibility to go. It is a shame for us, and a shame how it ended a little bit.

"For me, he's a good guy and I know probably other influences have taken him away from the club."

Deadline day has seen major transfers aplenty, with clubs across Europe pushing to complete final pieces of business before the window slams shut until 2023.

Barcelona have terminated Martin Braithwaite's contract, the forward widely expected to join Espanyol, while in France, Abdou Diallo completed a switch to RB Leipzig to begin an exodus from Paris Saint-Germain.

Further deals for both clubs are also on the cards, with a frantic end to the window expected in the final hours.

Premier League's power push

PSG's exodus was of benefit to English sides, Fulham signing Layvin Kurzawa on loan and Everton bringing Idrissa Gueye back to Merseyside three years after he left for the French capital. Gueye said: "There is no better feeling than coming back home. I've followed the team every week and watched how they play. For me, there is no better place than Everton so that's why I chose to come back here."

Fulham have also signed former Chelsea and Arsenal playmaker Willian on a free transfer.

Nottingham Forest hit number 19 for the window, drafting in Willy Boly from Wolves, while Southampton saw Jack Stephens move across the south coast to join Bournemouth on loan.

Arsenal's quest for a new midfielder has seen attention turn to Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, though the Gunners face a stern test with bids reportedly rebuffed from the side they defeated 2-1 on Wednesday.

Chelsea look set to bring one of the long-running sagas of the window to a close, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang poised to join from Barcelona. Marcos Alonso is expected to move to Camp Nou as part of that deal and the Blues may sell Billy Gilmour to Brighton and Hove Albion.

One player not on the move, however, was Joao Pedro as he confirmed he would remain at Watford amid reported interest from Newcastle United and Everton.

Europe's eye for business

On the continent, Julian Weigl moved to Borussia Monchengladbach on loan from Benfica. 

Free agent Florian Grillitsch has joined Ajax, who are said to have turned down approaches from Chelsea and Everton for Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus respectively.

Krzysztof Piatek also departed Germany, leaving Hertha Berlin for Serie A side Salertina, and was followed to Italy by Aster Vranckx, joining Milan on loan from Wolfsburg.

The Serie A champions are not yet finished, with an announcement confirming the capture of Sergino Dest from Barcelona expected imminently.

In Spain, Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine Zidane, joined second-tier outfit Eibar on a free transfer following his exit from Rayo Vallecano and Ilaix Moriba joined Valencia on loan from Leipzig, with Gennaro Gattuso's side also closing in on signing Justin Kluivert from Roma following the collapse of a proposed move to the Premier League.

Real Sociedad were also in on the late action, landing forward Umar Sadiq from Tenerife, the Nigerian likely to be a replacement for Alexander Isak.

Fulham have confirmed the signing of former Chelsea playmaker Willian on a free transfer, as well as completing a loan move for Paris Saint-Germain's Layvin Kurzawa.

Willian, who left Corinthians in August after receiving death threats, had re-joined the Brazilian side last year when he had his contract with Arsenal terminated. 

The 34-year-old only spent a year at Emirates Stadium, having failed to come close to replicating the success he enjoyed in a seven-season stint at Chelsea.

Willian, who has penned a one-year deal, has now made the return to London with Fulham, who have enjoyed a bright start to the Premier League season under Marco Silva.

"I'm happy to be here, I'm happy to be back in the Premier League," Willian told the club's website. "Fulham is a special club, a club that wants to improve, that wants to fight for something bigger, so I'm here to help, and I cant wait to get started."

Willian marked Fulham's second acquisition of the final day of the transfer window, following on from Kurzawa.

The French left-back has signed on loan for the remainder of the season.

"I feel very, very happy to be here. It's a family here, everyone is very cool," said Kurzawa. "I've watched every Fulham game this season, and I can't wait to play with this team."

Fulham are reportedly in talks with Leeds United to sign winger Daniel James before the deadline, while also targeting PSV striker Carlos Vinicius, who spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Tottenham.

Cristiano Ronaldo was on the move on transfer deadline day – but only as a passenger on the Manchester United team bus for the Premier League trip to Leicester City.

The prospect of Ronaldo finding a new club looked certain to come to nothing, despite the 37-year-old forward being linked with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Sporting CP and Napoli.

Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic revealed he spoke to Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes about the Portugal great, but there was never any real prospect of him joining the Bundesliga champions.

Ronaldo has been widely reported as being keen to play in this season's Champions League, but doors have repeatedly closed on that possibility with clubs distancing themselves from suggestions they might be keen suitors.

The man who became Real Madrid's record goalscorer during a nine-year stint in Spain is facing up to the prospect of Europa League action with United, a step down from the familiar elite level for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

He was set for Premier League duty on Thursday evening, with Sky Sports News stating Ronaldo was travelling to the Leicester game with his United team-mates.

Salihamidzic said of Ronaldo: "He's an incredibly big personality. A big player who has made his mark on the world of football in recent years.

"It wasn't an option for us because we were doing other things and before that we organised our attack in such a way.

"But you don't have to feel sorry for him. He's a great footballer who has achieved great things in recent years."

Asked if he had spoken to Ronaldo's agent, Salihamidzic told Germany's Sky Sport: "I often talk to Jorge Mendes. Yes, we spoke."

Tottenham's Harry Kane was also linked with Bayern during the transfer window, albeit without any apparent genuine prospect of a deal being done.

England captain Kane is said to have admirers within the Bayern ranks, but Salihamidzic would not be drawn on whether the Bavarian giants would consider a move for him next year.

"It's too early to talk about it," said Salihamidzic. "If you look at our attack now: we have eight players for four positions. If you look at the training sessions, it's great fun to watch.

"Some training games are better than Bundesliga games. That's why it's much too early to talk about it. The way we played offensively and scored so many goals, I'm very happy about that."

Manchester United and Manchester City got deals over the line early on deadline day – but there was plenty of time still to go before the transfer market closed.

The Premier League north-west giants strengthened, with United sealing the big-money signing of Ajax winger Antony and City adding another asset in Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund.

Many others were looking to do business in the market before time ran out.

Premier League teams race to wrap up big deals

As well as Antony moving to United for a fee thought to be around £81.3million (€95m), and Akanji fortifying City's defensive ranks, a host of their English rivals were also pushing to bring in new faces.

Liverpool looked set to bring in Brazil midfielder Arthur from Juventus on loan for the season.

With Wesley Fofana having made the leap to Chelsea, Leicester City found a replacement in Belgian defender Wout Faes who arrived from Reims on a five-year deal.

That will be a move that sets the Foxes back around £15million, but manager Brendan Rodgers will hope the 24-year-old can help to revive their struggling season.

Southampton had been pursuing a move for PSV Eindhoven's Cody Gakpo, but while their approach has been reportedly rebuffed, Saints have parted company with Oriol Romeu.

The Spaniard returns home to LaLiga, joining Girona for an undisclosed fee after seven years at St Mary's.

European markets busy in early trading

Barcelona were expected to be busy later in the day, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looking set to join Chelsea and Martin Braithwaite reportedly close to signing for Espanyol.

Sevilla secured a loan move for Kasper Dolberg from Nice, with the Denmark forward looking to secure his place in the national squad ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. That followed Sevilla loaning Lucas Ocampos to Ajax on Wednesday, and the LaLiga side signing free agent Adnan Januzaj.

Ligue 1 side Troyes announced the signing of Manchester City's Colombian forward Marlos Moreno on a two-year deal.

Josko Gvardiol landed a contract extension with RB Leipzig on Thursday and insisted he never wanted to leave.

Chelsea were strongly linked this week with Gvardiol and were said to be targeting a €90million (£77m) move for the defender.

That has not come off and the 20-year-old former Dinamo Zagreb player has extended his contract with Leipzig by a year to run until 2027 instead.

He moved to Leipzig in July last year, after a deal was agreed in the previous September.

Gvardiol was one of only four defenders in the Bundesliga last season to make at least 50 interceptions and 200 recoveries while also committing no errors that led to a goal.

Croatia international Gvardiol said: "I really enjoy being here and I wanted to stay here. We have a lot of work to do and a lot to achieve here. We have a good team and we're ready.

"We're in the Champions League and won the DFB-Pokal last season. We want to compete for trophies once again.

"I'm grateful to the club for counting on me and planning with me long-term."

Manchester City have completed the signing of defender Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund for a reported fee of £15.1million (€17.4m)

The Switzerland international has put pen to paper on a five-year deal for the Premier League champions, and will wear the number 25 shirt at the Etihad Stadium.

Akanji will provide further competition for a place in the heart of Pep Guardiola's defence, with Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake injured.

The 27-year-old, who was into the final year of his contract at Signal Iduna Park, is the second player to swap Dortmund for City during this window after Erling Haaland, alongside whom he won the German Cup in 2021.

Akanji played 158 times for BVB across all competitions after arriving from Basel in 2018, scoring four goals, but had not appeared under new head coach Edin Terzic at the start of this season.

"I am delighted to be here, and can’t wait to get started," Akanji told the club's official website. "City have been one of the best teams in Europe over the last few seasons.

"They are brilliant to watch, play an exciting brand of football and compete for trophies year in, year out, so coming here feels like the perfect next step in my career.  

"Pep Guardiola is an exceptional manager, and this is an exceptional squad of players, so this is an exciting opportunity for me. 

"I am really looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League and I will do everything I can to help this club be successful."

Akanji could make his City debut on Saturday when Guardiola's men travel to struggling Aston Villa in the Premier League.