Inter Nears €30m Deal for Djed Spence as Dumfries Successor

Inter’s long, twisting search for Denzel Dumfries’ replacement is finally closing in on a solution – and it leads back to Serie A, back to a familiar face.

Djed Spence, once a short-term fix at Genoa, is now on the brink of becoming a cornerstone at San Siro. Reports in Italy and England align: Inter are close to an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur for a deal worth €30m plus add-ons, with The Athletic in the UK echoing figures first outlined by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

For a club that has just marched through a 2025-26 campaign crowned by a Serie A and Coppa Italia Double, this isn’t a luxury signing. It’s a structural one. Dumfries has gone to Real Madrid, and Inter’s attempts to replace him have already taken a few sharp turns.

Chelsea snatched Marco Palestra from Atalanta at the last moment. Anan Khalaili saw a move collapse after failing a medical at Union Saint-Gilloise. Each setback tightened the pressure. Each missed target made the next decision bigger.

Now the focus is on Spence, and this time the pieces are falling into place.

From understudy at Genoa to prime-time at Inter?

Spence turned 26 at the weekend, an age where a full-back should be stepping into his peak years. Italy already knows a version of him. Tottenham sent him to Genoa on loan from January to June 2024, a move initially framed as squad depth rather than revolution.

He arrived as understudy to Stefano Sabelli. He did not stay that way for long.

Spence forced his way into the side, increasingly trusted on the left flank despite being naturally more at home on the right. By the end of that spell he had collected 16 competitive appearances and, more importantly, had shown he could cope with the tactical demands and intensity of Serie A.

Genoa had an option to buy for €10m in June 2024. They passed. Now, with Inter ready to commit three times that figure including add-ons, that decision looks like one that may sting for a while.

A profile built for Inzaghi’s system

Inter are not just buying a right-sided defender. They are buying flexibility.

Spence can operate on either side, as a full-back in a back four or as a wing-back in a three. For a coach like Simone Inzaghi, who leans heavily on his wide players to stretch the pitch, attack space and still track back with discipline, that versatility is gold.

All sources agree on one key detail: Spence wants this. He is described as enthusiastic about the move, attracted by the prospect of playing for the reigning Italian champions and returning to the Champions League stage with a team built to go deep in the competition.

This is not the same player who arrived quietly at Genoa to cover a gap in the squad. This is a 26-year-old looking at San Siro and seeing a platform, not a stepping stone.

If Inter close this deal, they won’t just have found Dumfries’ heir. They’ll have gambled that the energetic, adaptable full-back who briefly lit up Genoa can now handle the glare, the expectation, and the relentless demands of a club that measures itself in trophies.