Simon Stone
BBC Sport chief football news reporter

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Chris Salmon: After Manchester United's disastrous handling of Alvaro Fernandez (now Carreras), should they prioritise handing promising youth talent some chances this year? Vitek, Obi, Shea, Fletcher etc could all make the step up. Or are the stakes now too high for Amorim?

There are a couple of strands to this, one of which I don't have the answer to. Firstly, I have no issue with loaning players out to help observe development and assess their likely impact in the future. Every leading Premier League club does that.

In addition, I have no issue with clubs selling young players they don't think are quite up to it and then subsequent questions being raised. I can offer loads of examples of that; Kevin de Bruyne (Chelsea), Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers (Man City), Viktor Gyokeres (Brighton), Paul Pogba (Man Utd).

Those players left and flourished. No-one can know whether they would have reached the same levels if they had remained where they were.

My understanding is Erik ten Hag felt Carreras was not quick enough for the Premier League and struggled against quick players - and that he was more suited to a back-three defensive formation. There was no queue of Premier League clubs looking at him, which is how he ended up on loan, first at Grenada and then Benfica.

My question is why, given United spent the latter half of the 2023-24 season without a recognised left-back, they didn't bring him back to Old Trafford last summer, when Ten Hag concluded Harry Amass was not strong enough.

That would have seemed sensible from a business perspective, knowing Carreras' value had risen and with a half-decent season behind him, they would get a higher fee if they opted to sell at the end of the season. That would have seemed sensible to me.

Instead, they struggled through to January, when they spent £25m on Patrick Dorgu.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Jim in Shrewsbury: Which of the three promoted teams do you think has had the best transfer window so far?

Despite losing Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, Sunderland seem to be making up for lost time from the Premier League and have gone big in the transfer market so far.

The Black Cats have spent around £100m on four new players, plus turning Enzo le Fee’s loan from Roma into a permanent deal.

The most eye-catching transfer is that of midfielder Habib Diarra from Strasbourg, which is for a reported club-record deal of £30m – the Senegalese had been linked with a move to Aston Villa so it’s somewhat of a coup.

Simon Adingra has also come in from Brighton, Chemsdine Talbi and Noah Sadiki from the Belgian league, but those signings are all of relatively inexperienced youngsters who are aged 21, 23 and two 20 year olds.

It reminds me of the Burnley strategy under Vincent Kompany a couple of seasons ago, and we know how that one worked out…

Simon Stone
BBC Sport chief football news reporter

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Rich: Any chance of Manchester United actually doing some business in this window? Such a promising start and yet again failing to deliver. Going to be yet another poor season if the club don't get players in and out.

Well, we know United are trying to get the Bryan Mbeumo deal over the line and, ideally, want that done before they head off to the United States next Tuesday.

In theory, that should significantly improve their goal threat. I am pretty sure United would bring in a number nine if they could find one at the required standard but the reality is they need to sell players as well, and that is not easy.

We all know the five players Ruben Amorim has no use for but he may well have to look beyond those because, with no Europe, I already think United are at the maximum level in terms of numbers for a manageable squad.

Don't forget, apart from Alejandro Garnacho, all the exiled players spent the second half of last season out on loan, and only Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans - who didn't play much anyway - have left.

Right, your questions have been flooding in all morning so let's put our reporting team to work, starting with an update from Simon Stone on Bryan Mbeumo's protracted move from Brentford to Manchester United...

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After securing Champions League football with a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, Newcastle made a slow start to the summer transfer window.

But they have picked up pace in recent weeks with the big-money signing of Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest last week and are now favourites to acquire in-demand Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The £55m signing of Elanga will add to Eddie Howe's attacking options, following the departure of Callum Wilson upon his contract expiry last month.

Newcastle had also allowed centre-back Lloyd Kelly to complete a permanent move to Juventus while left-back Jamal Lewis also exited the club.

Their only other signing of the summer has been Spain Under-19 winger Antonio Cordero, 18, who joined on a free after spending last season in the Spanish second tier with Malaga.

Incomings:

• Anthony Elanga - £55m from Nottingham Forest
• Antonio Cordero - free from Malaga

Outgoings:

• Lloyd Kelly - £15m to Juventus
• Callum Wilson - free
• Jamal Lewis - free
• John Ruddy - free

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Looking at the amount of money Newcastle United are willing to spend on Hugo Ekitike - with reports in the region of £70m - and what Alexander Isak has been doing for the club in recent seasons, it will be up to Eddie Howe to find a system to get the best out of the two attackers.

Isak scored 23 Premier League goals for the Magpies last season and looks set to remain at the club despite interest from rivals earlier in the transfer window.

With Newcastle also playing in the Champions League next season, Ekitike's addition will bolster Howe's options and help spread around the goals more.

Add to that, Ekitike has already proven he can play alongside an attacker during the first half of last season, combining in attack with Omar Marmoush at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Egypt forward Marmoush bagged 15 goals and 10 assists for the club before joining Manchester City in January.

Ekitike can also play in a wider role and has weighed in with a healthy 14 assists in 64 appearances for Frankfurt.

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Arguably the best of Hugo Ekitike's 19 league goals for Eintracht Frankfurt came against none other than Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

After Harry Kane had opened the scoring for Bayern, Ekitike picked up the ball on the left with his back to the goal and wriggled past not one but two markers - Konrad Laimer and Thomas Muller - to make space outside of the box.

With about 20 yards between him and the goal, the Frankfurt forward planted a right-foot strike that beat the diving Manuel Neuer to make it 1-1.

Though Kane would go on to score the winner in that game in April last year, the young forward effectively announced his arrival in the Bundesliga and has not looked back.

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Hugo Ekitike is one of the hottest prospects in European football who can not just score goals but also create chances for his team-mates.

He scored 15 goals for Frankfurt in the Bundesliga last term but also created eight assists during the campaign.

Towering at 6ft 3in and aged only 23, the France Under-21s forward is far from the finished product but has a very high ceiling.

He is is strong physically, with plenty of pace to burn and the ability to take on defenders.

Ekitike is also a fox in the box, with a knack of being at the right place at the right time to find the back of the net, but will offer versatility for Eddie Howe, having played both as a wide forward and number nine for Frankfurt under manager Dino Toppmoller.

Craig Nelson
BBC Sport reporter

OK, while we wait for our Q&A to kick into gear, let's quickly return to that story on Newcastle links with Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike...

BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel reported earlier this month that Crystal Palace had been made aware of Arsenal's interest in England attacker Eberechi Eze.

The 27-year-old contract at Palace - which includes a £68m release clause - expires in 2027.

Sami's report cited sources that suggested Eze was "open to a move" to Emirates Stadium.

The report added: "Sources insist Palace would demand the full release clause should any club formalise their interest - but whether that stance softens towards the end of the window remains to be seen."

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Arsenal are set to approach Crystal Palace to discuss whether they can do a deal for England winger Eberechi Eze, according to Talksport, external.

The Gunners are reportedly looking to sign Eze without having to meet his £68m release clause.

Eze helped Palace win the FA Cup last season, scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final.

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Footmercato, external is reporting that Liverpool's representatives have met with Crystal Palace's France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in Paris to discuss a move to Anfield.

The 27-year-old forward is under contract at Palace until 2027 and scored 17 goals for the club last season.

Craig Nelson
BBC Sport reporter

There are also a number of reports today linking two of Crystal Palace's star forwards with a move away from the club...

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According to Football Transfers,, external Bryan Mbeumo is on the verge of completing his move to Manchester United.

They are reporting that the last remaining issues between the two clubs have been resolved and the forward is set to join the Old Trafford club.

Mbeumo scored 20 goals and weighed in with seven assists in the Premier League last season.

Craig Nelson
BBC Sport reporter

Jordan Henderson is the fifth signing made by Brentford in a summer that has also seen Keith Andrews replace long-time manager Thomas Frank.

Bryan Mbeumo is another one of Frank's key players expected to be leaving the Bees this summer.

Reports suggest that the Cameroon international's long-awaited switch to Manchester United finally looks set to be completed.

More to follow in our gossip round-up...

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Brentford head coach Keith Andrews is hoping that the arrival of Jordan Henderson will help fill the "void" left by the departure of players including Christian Norgaard.

Norgaard has joined Arsenal this summer while goalkeeper Mark Flekken made the switch for Bayer Leverkusen and experienced central-defender Ben Mee left following the end of his contract.

“When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision," Andrews told the Brentford website.

“We did our due diligence around his recent games to see where he is - he’s still phenomenally fit and he’s still phenomenally motivated to achieve things in the game, having already achieved a lot.

“With the void of experienced players leaving the building - Norgaard, Flekken and Ben - it was important to replace that.

“What Jordan will bring is that he has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years. He’s been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club.

“He will drive standards and be a brilliant addition to the squad.”

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport

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Jordan Henderson arrives at Brentford following the departure of defensive midfielder and captain Christian Norgaard to Arsenal.

The Denmark international's will be big shoes to fill.

Since Norgaard's Premier League debut in 2021, he has made an unrivalled 201 interceptions, while he also ranks second overall for recoveries (844) and third for tackles won (189).

Henderson has perhaps not played as many full games as he would have liked since ending his controversial move to Saudi Arabia to join Ajax in January 2024 but he's still been effective in Amsterdam.

He created the joint-most chances of any Ajax player in the Eredivisie last season, while he also completed the most passes and crosses, and made the most tackles and interceptions combined, of any midfielder for the Dutch club.