Inter Targets Djed Spence as Dumfries Successor for €30m
Inter’s long, awkward search for Denzel Dumfries’ successor finally has a clear target – and a price tag. Djed Spence, once a loanee fighting for minutes at Genoa, is now on the brink of a €30m move from Tottenham Hotspur, with add-ons to follow.
The deal, first driven out of Italy by La Gazzetta dello Sport and picked up by Football Italia, has now been backed up in England by The Athletic. The numbers match: €30m plus bonuses. The direction of travel is the same too. Spence to Inter, and quickly.
From Genoa understudy to Inter solution
This is not Spence’s first brush with Serie A. Tottenham sent him to Genoa from January to June 2024, a short loan that was supposed to park him quietly behind Stefano Sabelli. It didn’t stay that way for long.
Spence forced his way in. Used primarily on the left, he turned what was meant to be a supporting role into a genuine first-team presence, clocking up 16 competitive appearances and leaving a clear impression of untapped upside. Genoa had a €10m option to buy last June. They walked away. Looking at today’s figures, that decision now bites.
He turned 26 at the weekend, no longer the raw prospect Spurs picked up, but a player entering his prime and finally gathering momentum.
Inter’s right flank puzzle
Inter’s need is obvious. Dumfries has gone to Real Madrid, ripping out a key piece of Simone Inzaghi’s machine. The Nerazzurri have spent the summer trying to stitch that flank back together and keep their Scudetto-winning structure intact.
They thought they had one answer in Marco Palestra, only for Chelsea to swoop late and steal the Atalanta talent from under their nose. They moved for Anan Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise; the deal collapsed after a failed medical. Two attempts, two setbacks. The right side remained a problem.
Now the focus is on Spence, whose profile fits the system. He can operate on either flank, as a full-back or wing-back, offering Inzaghi the flexibility he craves in a squad built on tactical tweaks and rotation. For a coach who leans heavily on his wing-backs to set the tone, that versatility matters almost as much as raw quality.
A player eager for the San Siro stage
All reports converge on one key point: Spence wants this. The Englishman is said to be enthusiastic about the move, drawn by the chance to slot into a side fresh off a Serie A and Coppa Italia double in 2025-26 and heading back into the Champions League spotlight.
This is not just a transfer up the ladder. It is a chance to define his career. From the World Cup stage in the United States, where he featured for England at the 2026 tournament, to the tactical grind of Serie A with Inter, Spence is moving into a very different kind of pressure.
For Inter, it’s a calculated push. For Spence, it could be the leap that finally turns potential into permanence.
If the final details fall into place, a club hunting for a new right flank identity may have just found it in a player Serie A already knows – and one Genoa might be wishing they’d kept for a fraction of the price.
