Inter closes in on Djed Spence as Dumfries heir
Inter’s long, messy search for a successor to Denzel Dumfries is finally closing in on a solution – and it comes from North London with a familiar Serie A twist.
Reports in both Italy and England now align: Djed Spence is on the verge of joining Inter from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth around €30m plus add-ons. La Gazzetta dello Sport outlined the figures early, Football Italia echoed them, and The Athletic has now backed them up from the UK side. The numbers are converging, and so is the feeling that this move is close.
For Inter, it has been anything but a smooth recruitment drive. Dumfries’ move to Real Madrid left a sizeable hole on the right, and every attempt to plug it seemed to unravel. Chelsea snatched Atalanta’s Marco Palestra at the last moment. Anan Khalaili, targeted from Union Saint-Gilloise, saw his move collapse after a failed medical. Each setback raised the stakes a little higher.
Now, the focus has settled on Spence – and this time the pieces are falling into place.
A versatile answer to Inzaghi’s problem
Spence brings something Simone Inzaghi values deeply: flexibility. He can operate on either flank, as a full-back or wing-back, switching sides without losing intensity. In a system built on aggressive wing-backs and constant rotation, that matters.
Inter are not just buying a position; they are buying options. Coming off a 2025-26 season that delivered a Serie A and Coppa Italia double, with another Champions League campaign ahead, the squad needs depth that can adapt, not just fill gaps.
All reports agree on one key detail: Spence wants this. The 26-year-old is described as enthusiastic about the move, drawn by the chance to join a title-winning side and re-establish himself at the highest level after a stop-start spell at Tottenham.
A second shot at Serie A
Italy will not be new territory. Spence spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Genoa, arriving in January with modest expectations. He was supposed to sit behind Stefano Sabelli, learn the league, and wait his turn.
He had other ideas.
Bit by bit, he forced his way into the side, even switching to the left flank to get on the pitch. By June, he had made 16 competitive appearances and left a clear impression of a player capable of handling Serie A’s tactical demands and physical rhythm.
Genoa had an option to buy him outright for €10m in June 2024. They passed. With the fee now set at around three times that figure, it is a decision that may sting for some time.
Inter’s wing-back evolution
This move is not just about replacing Dumfries. It signals how Inter intend to evolve. Dumfries offered raw power and direct running on the right. Spence, while still aggressive and athletic, brings a different profile: more positional flexibility, more potential to switch sides, more tactical levers for Inzaghi to pull during a long season.
Inter, fresh from domestic dominance, cannot afford to stand still. The Champions League demands more rotation, more adaptability, more players who can cover multiple roles without a drop in level. Spence fits that blueprint.
If the final details fall into place as expected, Tottenham will cash in on a player who never fully settled in North London, and Inter will hand Inzaghi a wing-back entering his prime, already tested in Serie A, hungry for a stage that matches his ambitions.
For Genoa, it will be a reminder of an opportunity missed. For Inter, it could be the latest example of a club that has turned the wing-back role into an art form finding its next project.
And for Spence, it is a second chance in Italy – this time not as an understudy, but as the man trusted to patrol the flank for the Italian champions.
