Inter Milan Secures £30m Deal for Djed Spence from Spurs
Inter Milan have agreed a £30m deal to sign England defender Djed Spence from Tottenham, closing in on a move that reshapes both clubs’ plans at full-back.
The agreement includes a 10 per cent sell-on clause and comes after Spence was given permission to travel to Italy for a medical while talks continued. Those negotiations are now settled: a total package worth £30m has been reached.
From World Cup breakout to San Siro stage
Spence arrives in Italy off the back of a standout summer with England, helping his country to a third-place finish at the World Cup and catching the eye with his athletic, front-foot style.
At Spurs, though, the path to regular minutes looked increasingly blocked. Pedro Porro is firmly established as first-choice right-back, while Destiny Udogie, Andy Robertson, Souza and Ben Davies all offer options on the left. For a 24-year-old defender entering his prime, another season on the fringes was never going to be enough.
Inter, searching for a new right wing-back after failing to land Al Ittihad’s Moussa Diaby, moved decisively. Once their pursuit of Diaby stalled, Spence quickly became the priority target.
A second Italian chapter
Spence still had three years left on his Tottenham contract, with an option for a further year, but his mind was open to a fresh start. His six-month loan at Genoa from January 2024 left a strong impression, both on him and on Serie A observers, and helped pave the way for this move.
Tottenham originally signed Spence from Middlesbrough in July 2022 in a deal worth up to £20m. Two years on, they are banking a healthy profit.
Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam summed up the mixed emotions likely to be felt in north London. Spurs fans, he said, have “seen his brilliance in flashes” at club level and on the World Cup stage. They may view the £30m fee as both smart business and a missed opportunity.
Tottenham paid £12.5m of that original Middlesbrough deal up front and are now receiving more than double that figure, yet there is a lingering sense that a potentially key player is leaving before ever truly establishing himself.
Spurs already plotting the next move
Tottenham, for their part, have not been caught cold. McAdam revealed the club have “irons in the fire” as they work on potential replacements for Spence, anticipating his departure well before the final agreement with Inter.
Spence now stands on the verge of the biggest stage of his club career, stepping into a system built for attacking wing-backs at a club that demands instant impact.
If he delivers in Milan the way he did for England this summer, Spurs’ tidy profit may soon look like a bargain for Inter.
