Inter Milan Sign Djed Spence from Tottenham for £30m

Inter Milan have struck a £30m deal to sign England defender Djed Spence from Tottenham, sealing a move that reshapes both clubs’ options at full-back.

The agreement, understood to include a 10 per cent sell-on clause, ends a stop-start Spurs spell for a player whose ceiling has never really been in doubt.

Inter get their wing-back

Inter have been scouring the market for a right wing-back and, after failing to find a breakthrough with Al Ittihad over Moussa Diaby, turned decisively towards Spence. Once the Italians made their move, the transfer gathered pace.

Spence was granted permission to travel to Italy on Friday for a medical while talks continued between the clubs. Those negotiations are now complete, with the total package agreed at £30m.

For Simone Inzaghi, it’s a profile that fits: an aggressive, attacking full-back, fresh from a standout summer.

World Cup breakout, blocked path at Spurs

Spence arrives in Milan on the back of a strong World Cup, where he was one of the bright spots in England’s run to third place. His performances there underlined what Spurs fans have only seen in flashes since he joined from Middlesbrough in July 2022 in a deal worth up to £20m.

The problem in north London was never talent. It was traffic.

Pedro Porro has nailed down the right-back berth, while the left side is crowded with Destiny Udogie, Andy Robertson, Souza and Ben Davies all capable of operating there. Spence, still only in his early twenties and needing minutes, was staring at another season on the fringes.

That made the decision easier. He had three years left on his Spurs contract, with an option for a further year, but his mind had already been opened to Italy.

A six-month loan at Genoa from January 2024 gave him a taste of Serie A and regular football. He enjoyed it. Enough to push for a permanent return to the country when Inter’s interest hardened.

A farewell with feeling

Before the move was confirmed, Spence took to X to say goodbye to Tottenham, signing off with a message that carried more emotion than his minutes on the pitch ever really allowed him to show.

“A special chapter comes to an end,” he wrote. “It’s been some journey, with plenty of memories, moments and experiences that I’ll carry with me for forever, especially that night in Bilbao.

“Thanks to all the staff members who’ve helped me along the way, the players who’ve become family and most importantly thank you to the fans.

“It’s time for a new chapter, but Spurs will always have a place in my heart. COYS!!”

For a player who never truly became a regular, it was a strikingly warm goodbye.

Spurs cash in – and look ahead

From Tottenham’s perspective, this is both a football and financial call.

They paid £12.5m to sign Spence from Middlesbrough in 2022, a deal driven by chairman Daniel Levy. Two years on, they walk away with more than double that figure, plus a sell-on clause in Inter’s agreement that protects them if his value explodes in Italy.

Sky Sports News reporter Mark McAdam summed up the mixed mood around the deal.

Spurs supporters, he said, have “seen his brilliance in flashes” and watched him shine on the biggest stage with England at the World Cup. That’s why there will be frustration as well as logic in the sale: the nagging sense that £30m feels light for a player who could yet become a major figure in European football.

Tottenham, though, have not been caught cold. They have been preparing for this outcome and already have potential replacements lined up as they reshape their full-back department again.

Inter get the dynamic wing-back they have been chasing. Spurs bank a profit and move on.

The real question now sits with Spence himself: does this become the move that finally turns flashes of brilliance into a career-defining run at the top?