Inter Zeroes in on Djed Spence as Dumfries Successor

Inter’s long, restless search for a replacement for Denzel Dumfries finally has a clear frontrunner – and it is a familiar face to Serie A.

Reports in both Italy and England now align: Djed Spence is closing in on a move to Inter from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth around €30m plus add-ons. La Gazzetta dello Sport first flagged significant progress on the Italian side of the talks, and those figures are now being echoed in the UK by The Athletic.

For Inter, who have stumbled from one dead end to another in this position, that matters. The club watched Chelsea snatch Atalanta’s Marco Palestra at the last moment. They then saw a move for Anan Khalaili collapse after the Union Saint-Gilloise defender failed his medical. Each setback sharpened the need. Each miss raised the stakes.

Now the focus is on Spence – and this time, the deal is moving.

Inter’s double winners reload

Inter are not shopping from a position of weakness. Simone Inzaghi’s side are fresh from a Serie A and Coppa Italia double in 2025-26 and will stride back into the Champions League this season with the swagger of a team that expects to compete deep into the spring.

They need depth, they need dynamism, and on the flanks they need someone who can live with the physical and tactical demands of Inzaghi’s system. Spence ticks a lot of those boxes.

All reports agree on one crucial point: the player wants it. The 26-year-old is described as enthusiastic about joining the Nerazzurri, drawn by the chance to step into a title-winning dressing room and re-establish himself at the highest level after a stop-start spell with Tottenham.

Versatility and Serie A know-how

Spence brings something Inter value highly – flexibility. He can operate on either flank, as a full-back or as a wing-back, and that versatility becomes gold dust across a 50-plus game season.

This would not be a blind leap into a new league either. Spence already tested himself in Serie A during a loan spell at Genoa from January to June 2024. He arrived as cover, nominally the understudy to Stefano Sabelli, but did not stay in the shadows for long.

Working his way into the side, Spence ended up featuring regularly on the left, making 16 competitive appearances and leaving a strong enough impression that Genoa had a decision to make last summer. They held a €10m option to buy.

They walked away. Inter are now preparing to pay three times that.

A missed chance for Genoa, a window for Inter

With hindsight, Genoa’s choice looks costly. Spence had already shown he could adapt to Italian football, adjust to the tactical detail of Serie A and cope with the physical grind. At €10m, he was an opportunity. At €30m plus bonuses, he becomes a statement.

Inter, though, care little for what might have been elsewhere. They see a 26-year-old entering his prime, with World Cup experience for England and the athletic profile to cover the right flank Dumfries patrolled before his move to Real Madrid.

The deal is not over the line yet, but the direction of travel is clear. Inter have their target, the numbers are on the table, and the player is pushing in the same direction.

If they close this, the champions will not just have found a successor to Dumfries. They will have added a defender who already knows the league, understands the scrutiny, and has unfinished business in Italy.