Inter Milan Secures £30m Signing of Djed Spence from Tottenham

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 wing-back.

The agreement, understood to include a 10 per cent sell-on clause, comes after the full-back was granted permission to travel to Italy for a medical while talks continued between the clubs. Those negotiations have now produced a total package worth £30m.

For Spurs, it is a lucrative exit. For Spence, it is the chance he has been waiting for.

Inter find their right flank answer

Inter have been hunting a new right wing-back and had initially pushed to land Al Ittihad’s Moussa Diaby. That pursuit stalled. The search moved on. Spence quickly emerged as the leading option and now looks set to fill a key role in Simone Inzaghi’s system.

The 23-year-old arrives off the back of an impressive summer, having starred in England’s run to third place at the World Cup. His performances there showcased the pace, aggression and one‑v‑one quality that first put him on Premier League radars.

He also knows Italian football. A six-month loan spell with Genoa from January 2024 gave him a taste of Serie A and, crucially, left him keen to return. The move to San Siro fits both his ambitions and Inter’s tactical needs.

Tottenham cash in – but at a cost?

Spurs signed Spence from Middlesbrough in July 2022 in a deal worth up to £20m, paying an initial £12.5m. Two years on, they are banking more than double that initial outlay, with three years still left on his contract and an option for a further year.

Financially, it is sharp business. Emotionally, it is more complicated.

“A player that Spurs fans will say they have seen his brilliance in flashes,” Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam said. “You saw his brilliance at the World Cup with England.

“They may also think it is frustrating. They paid £12.5m for him from Middlesbrough in 2022, a deal that Daniel Levy did. They are getting more than two times what they paid for him.

“But they will also say it doesn’t feel like a lot of money for a player who could be so key for us.

“Spurs have been preparing for this and have irons in the fire for his potential replacement.”

Spence’s route to regular minutes in north London always looked crowded. Pedro Porro is firmly established as first-choice right-back, while on the opposite side Destiny Udogie, Andy Robertson, Souza and Ben Davies can all operate at left-back. In that context, a sizeable offer for a player on the fringes was always likely to test Tottenham’s resolve.

Now, with Inter moving decisively and Spurs already working on replacements, Spence swaps a blocked pathway at Tottenham for a starting opportunity at one of Europe’s heavyweights.