Inter targets Djed Spence as Dumfries successor after €30m breakthrough
Inter’s long, awkward search for a successor to Denzel Dumfries is finally locking onto a target with real traction. Djed Spence, once a loanee fighting for minutes at Genoa, now stands on the verge of a move to San Siro that could reach €30m plus add-ons from Tottenham Hotspur, according to aligned reports in Italy and England.
La Gazzetta dello Sport first outlined the figures on the Italian side of the deal, and The Athletic has now echoed those numbers from the UK. The agreement is described as very close rather than speculative. This is not a name casually floated into the market. Inter have moved.
Inter find their wing-back after false starts
The right flank has been a headache since Dumfries left for Real Madrid. Inter identified the role as a priority and then watched two solutions vanish in quick succession. Chelsea stepped in late to snatch Atalanta’s Marco Palestra. Anan Khalaili, lined up from Union Saint-Gilloise, failed his medical.
Each misstep increased the pressure. Inter needed a player who could start at Champions League level, live with the tactical demands of Simone Inzaghi’s system and handle the weight of a club coming off a Serie A and Coppa Italia Double in 2025-26.
The focus turned firmly to Spence. This time, the move is advancing rather than collapsing.
A versatile fit for Inzaghi’s system
Spence brings something Inter value highly: flexibility. He can operate on either flank, as a full-back or a wing-back, and has the athletic profile to patrol the entire side in Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 structure.
All reporting points in the same direction on one key detail: the player wants the move. Spence is said to be enthusiastic about joining Inter, attracted by the prospect of competing for major trophies and returning to the Champions League stage.
At 26, he is entering what should be his prime years. This is not a speculative teenager or a fading veteran. Inter would be buying a player with enough experience to contribute immediately, but with room to grow in a top-level environment.
From Genoa understudy to €30m target
Italy already knows Spence. Tottenham sent him on loan to Genoa from January to June 2024, a move initially framed as cover rather than a headline signing. He arrived as the understudy to Stefano Sabelli, expected to wait his turn.
He didn’t. Spence forced his way into the side, often on the left, and finished the spell with 16 competitive appearances. It was a short stay, but it left a mark: a Premier League full-back adapting quickly to Serie A’s tactical demands and physical rhythm.
Genoa had a €10m option to buy in June 2024. They passed. Now, with Inter preparing to spend around three times that figure including add-ons, that decision will sting. What looked like a cautious call then has become a missed opportunity in hindsight.
A move with weight on both sides
For Tottenham, the deal would represent a significant sale and a reset on a player who never fully established himself in North London. For Inter, it is a calculated investment in a position that underpins the entire balance of their side.
Inter’s double-winning squad does not need revolution, but it does need renewal in key areas. If the final details fall into place, Djed Spence will walk into a dressing room built to compete on every front — and into a role that could define the next phase of his career.
