Djed Spence Moving Closer to Exit from Tottenham

Djed Spence is moving closer to the exit at Tottenham, with Inter Milan preparing to test Spurs’ resolve over the England full-back.

Standard Sport understands the Serie A giants are lining up an offer in the region of £25.6million, and Spence is ready to listen. After a standout World Cup, his value — on the pitch and in the market — has never looked stronger, and he wants clarity on what comes next for his career.

World Cup surge, club reality

Spence’s performances in Qatar, capped by an impressive display in England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina, have pushed him into a different bracket of recognition. Four weeks on, though, the reality at Spurs is harsher.

Roberto De Zerbi cannot promise him the one thing he craves most: minutes. Regular, guaranteed, first-choice minutes.

Pedro Porro, a World Cup winner and now tied down to a new long-term deal signed in June, sits ahead of Spence in the right-back hierarchy. That is the position Spence sees as his own. He can operate on the left, but he believes his World Cup form has earned him the right to fight for that right-back spot week in, week out.

De Zerbi is an admirer. He rates Spence’s athleticism, his ability to drive forward, his upside. But he also recognises the reality of a 26-year-old entering what should be the prime of his career and unwilling to settle for a back-up role. The Spurs head coach has made it clear he will not block a move if Spence decides it is time to go.

Inter circle as Spurs shift strategy

In a perfect scenario, Spurs would keep him. This is not a club eager to cash in on an England international who has just enhanced his reputation on the biggest stage. Yet the circumstances line up neatly.

Spence wants to play. Spurs want to be sharper and more decisive in the market, both in and out. Inter Milan need a right-back after Denzel Dumfries’s move to Real Madrid, and view Spence as a direct replacement.

The proposed fee feels on the low side for a player whose stock has risen sharply since the World Cup. But Spurs are not exactly fielding a bidding war. Liverpool have registered only tentative interest, and selling abroad allows Tottenham to avoid strengthening a direct Premier League rival.

That leaves the club weighing up a familiar dilemma with a slightly different mindset. In previous years, Spurs have been accused internally and externally of failing to extract fair market value when moving players on. This summer, they are determined not to repeat that pattern, even if realism is required over a player who has not consistently hit top level during his time in north London.

What comes next for Spurs?

Whether Spurs move for a like-for-like replacement remains unclear. De Zerbi has already signalled that Tottenham’s business is not done, and Spence’s departure would only sharpen the need for clarity in the full-back department.

For now, though, the story is simple. An England international at a crossroads, a manager unwilling to make promises he cannot keep, and an Italian giant ready to offer the one thing Spurs cannot: a guaranteed shot at being first-choice in the prime years of his career.