Newcastle United target set for agreement as Spurs boss discusses controversy over Magpies arrangement

Newcastle United have reportedly been dealt a blow ahead of the summer transfer window as one target is said to be close to agreeing a new deal with his current club.

The Magpies hierarchy are facing several key decisions ahead of the summer trading as they look to strengthen Eddie Howe's squad on the back of what has been a challenging season at St James Park. Despite placing defenders and strikers at the top of their list of priorities, United will also have some big calls to make over their goalkeepers.

Nick Pope is expected to return to action before the end of the season after suffering a serious shoulder injury in a narrow home win against Manchester United earlier in the campaign. Martin Dubravka has stepped into the breach in Pope's absence but the Slovakian stopper will enter the final 12 months of his current contract at the end of the season. Backup options Mark Gillespie and Loris Karius will see their deals come to an end in June and the latter has already spoken of his interest in a move to Italy.

The situation has left United to consider bringing in another goalkeeper to provide competition for Pope - but one option could be off the table after HITC reported Alexander Nubel is set to sign a new contract with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich after spending the season on loan at league rivals Stuttgart.

Spurs boss backs controversial Newcastle arrangement

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has given his take on his side’s post-season friendly with Newcastle.

Despite a hectic end to what has been a long and challenging season for both clubs, the Premier League rivals are set to meet at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday 22nd May as part of the city’s ‘Global Football Week’.  Newcastle will also go on to face an A-League All-Star side at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium just under 24 hours later.

The fixtures have provoked criticism from several parties but Spurs boss Postecoglou, who spent the majority of his playing career and part of his managerial career in Melbourne, described the arrangement as ‘a unique opportunity’ and feels the game can be ‘really beneficial’ for both clubs.

He said: “I guess with all these decisions there’s always going to be conjecture and scrutiny around why they’re made. But from our perspective, like any club, you weigh up the benefits and costs of doing something. For one reason or another, we haven’t had a lot of games this year and there was a unique opportunity for us to have a game at the end of the year. I’m obviously part of that discussion and we are mindful of the players and the schedule. We weighed it all up and thought it was going to be really beneficial for us as a football club, and we’ve gone that way.”