Djed Spence Joins Inter Milan in €35m Transfer
Djed Spence touched down in Milan late on Thursday night, the final act of a transfer saga that has dragged him from a chaotic Tottenham season to the threshold of San Siro.
The 26-year-old Spurs defender arrived in Italy to complete his blockbuster summer move to Inter, with medical tests scheduled for Friday. Local cameras and a cluster of excited supporters were waiting as he walked through the terminal, a low-key entrance for a deal of this size, but a clear sign of what Inter expect him to become.
Inter get their man
Inter and Tottenham have thrashed out a comprehensive agreement: an initial €31.5 million (£27m) fee, with performance-related bonuses that could drive the total package up to €35m (£30m). Spurs have also secured a 10 per cent sell-on clause, a nod to the belief that Spence’s best years might still be ahead of him.
Personal terms were never an obstacle. Spence is understood to have agreed his contract with Inter without any real drama, a sharp contrast to the unpredictable four-year spell he’s endured in north London.
Inter’s interest hardened after his outstanding summer with England. Spence enjoyed a breakout 2026 World Cup, playing a major role as the Three Lions battled their way to the third-place play-off against France. Those performances, under the most unforgiving spotlight in the sport, pushed him to the top of Inter’s shortlist.
They needed a statement signing at wing-back. Denzel Dumfries left for Real Madrid in early July, ripping out a key piece of Simone Inzaghi’s system. Spence is the man chosen to fill that void.
Blocked at Spurs, reborn in Serie A?
For Tottenham, this is the end of a turbulent chapter. Spence made 85 senior appearances for the club and leaves with a Europa League winners’ medal, but the route to regular football had all but disappeared.
On the right, Pedro Porro recently signed a lucrative new contract and has nailed down the starting role. On the opposite flank, Andy Robertson has arrived to offer elite depth and experience. Between them, they effectively slammed the door on Spence’s prospects of meaningful minutes in the coming Premier League season.
New head coach Roberto De Zerbi did not stand in his way. With Spurs reshaping a squad that only just escaped relegation on the final day last term, the Italian gave the green light for a permanent exit. Spence had featured 44 times in that fraught campaign, a year that exposed Tottenham’s flaws and left little room for patience.
A return to familiar ground
This move is not a leap into the unknown. Spence already knows Italian football. He spent six productive months on loan at Genoa in 2024, a stint that toughened him up and exposed him to the tactical demands and positional discipline expected in Serie A.
That experience now becomes a crucial reference point. Inter are not buying a defender guessing his way through a new league; they are backing someone who has already felt the grind of Italian football and shown he can adapt.
Only one obstacle remains: Friday’s medical. Once those mandatory tests are completed, Inter will unveil their new full-back at San Siro and throw him straight into preparations for the new season.
From a relegation scrap in north London to a title push in Milan — Spence’s next step is clear. How high he climbs from here is entirely up to him.
