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• Postecoglou: There's a deadline on signing Werner

  Ange Postecoglou has revealed Tottenham have a deadline if they want to make Timo Werner’s loan deal permanent.

  The German joined Spurs on loan in January from RB Leipzig, scoring twice and assisting three goals in 14 matches in all competitions for the North London side.

  However, Werner missed the last five games of Spurs’ season due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Arsenal.

  Postecoglou admitted that he was relaxed about the situation, but whether a deal was made was out of his hands.

  Speaking to reporters following their friendly in Melbourne against Newcastle United, Postecoglou said: "I think from our perspective, there's a deadline there.

  "Again, a lot of that will depend on the negotiations between the clubs and how Timo feels.

  "Again, from my perspective, I'm comfortable with that situation, and I'll let the other guys steer it to see what kind of outcome there is."

  After a strong start to their season, Spurs eventually finished fifth in the Premier League, securing a place in the Europa League next season.

  The Australian also believes the club need to bring more attacking players in as a priority to balance the higher workload next season after struggling with injuries this campaign.

  "Yeah, absolutely. It's no secret [we need new forwards]. You saw the way we finished the season," he said.

  "We obviously lost Richarlison and Timo Werner as well with injuries, but we're fairly light in that area.

  "We started last season with Manor [Solomon] and [Ivan] Perisic, and we were quite healthy in that front third in terms of numbers, but as the year went on it became pretty evident that we needed to bulk up.

  "We're in Europe as well next year, so we'll have more games, and it's definitely an area of the park we'll need to strengthen."

• Newcastle United 1-1 Tottenham (5-4 pens): Magpies win controversial Australia friendly

  Newcastle United overcame Tottenham on penalties following a 1-1 draw in Wednesday's controversial friendly in Melbourne, just three days after the end of the Premier League season.

  A crowd of 78,419 packed into Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch two of the Premier League's top seven face off in a post-season game which had been criticised on player welfare grounds. 

  James Maddison celebrated being named in England's preliminary Euro 2024 squad by firing home Spurs' opener after 32 minutes, before his Three Lions team-mate Kieran Tripper was substituted after just 36 minutes.

  Alexander Isak levelled from close range on the stroke of half-time, and the game went straight to spot-kicks after neither team was able to force a second-half winner. 

  Bryan Gil was denied by Mark Gillespie from Tottenham's first kick, with the nine subsequent attempts all successful as the Magpies triumphed 5-4.

  After the game, Newcastle boss Howe moved to allay fears over Trippier's condition, saying his withdrawal was planned.

  "We spoke with Kieran and thought the best thing to do was for him to start the game," Howe said.

  "He's still in the early stages of recovery from his calf problem, we didn't want to take risks with him so half an hour was the aim. No injury there."  

  Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, immediately turned his attentions towards the transfer window after failing to oversee a win in his native Australia.

  "Last year, it certainly benefited us having a couple in early and having all the whole squad for pre-season," he said. 

  "Everyone wants to do business early, everyone is keen to bring players in but the reality of it is it usually takes a little bit of time.

  "But the good thing for us is we know what we need to do, we've had the plan in place for quite a while and it's just about now going through that process." 

• Putellas signs two-year deal with Barcelona

  Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas has signed a two-year deal until 2026, the club announced on Thursday.

  Putellas was due to be out of contract next month, but extends her 12-year relationship with Barcelona, with the new deal also including an option for an additional season.

  The 30-year-old is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner in 2021 and 2022, though she has struggled with injuries that have kept her sidelined since winning the second.

  Overall, she has made 424 appearances, scoring a record 189 goals for the club, playing a pivotal role in Barcelona’s recent domination in women’s football.

  Putellas has won 29 major trophies with Barcelona and is looking for another on Saturday when they face Lyon in the Champions League final.

  Having already clinched Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa this season, Putellas can help Barcelona to complete an unprecedented quadruple with a win over the French champions.