Djed Spence nears Tottenham exit with Inter in talks

England defender keen on move to Italian champions.

England's Djed Spence (right) kicks the ball past Argentina's Nahuel Molina. Pic:: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.

Tottenham are prepared to allow Djed Spence to join Inter, with the England defender expected to cost around €30m (£25.6m).

Spence – who started four games for England at the World Cup, including the semi-final against Argentina – has fallen further down the pecking order at Spurs after the arrival of Andy Robertson from Liverpool. 

He signed a new four-year contract in north London at the start of last season but is believed to be keen on joining the Italian champions, with Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro expected to be Roberto De Zerbi’s preferred full-backs this season.

Talks are ongoing over a fee for the 26-year-old as Inter search for a replacement for Denzel Dumfries, who joined Real Madrid this summer. But personal terms are not believed to be an issue and an agreement is likely to be reached that will see Inter pay only slightly more than the £20m fee Spurs paid to sign Spence from Middlesbrough in 2022.

Inter also held talks with Tottenham over a potential move for Cristian Romero but the Argentina defender looks set to join Atlético Madrid for a fee of €40m. They have yet to agree a fee but Romero is expected to move to La Liga despite interest from elsewhere, including Premier League champions Arsenal.

On Monday, Spurs – who have spent almost £240m this summer on new players, including Sandro Tonali for a club record £92.5m, confirmed that Mickey van de Ven has signed a new five-year contract. 

“It’s clear the direction the club wants to go in and I want to be a part of it. I’m excited about what’s to come,” said the Netherlands defender.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are in talks to re-sign Evann Guessand on a season-long loan from Aston Villa. The Côte d’Ivoire forward spent the second half of last season at Selhurst Park and was part of the side that won the Conference League in May, although Palace decided not to take up an option to sign him earlier in the summer. The south London club are also expected to complete deals for Anan Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise for £21m and Xavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake for £11m.

Meanwhile, Palace and Everton have agreed a straight swap for Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil – six months after McNeil’s partner accused Palace of messing with his mental health after pulling out of a deal.

McNeil and Johnson, who became Palace’s record signing when he joined in January from Tottenham for £35m, only to be surpassed by the arrival of Jørgen Strand Larsen from Wolves for an initial £43m a few weeks later, have agreed four-year contracts with the option of a further 12 months.

“There were a lot of reasons why I was so keen to join – the manager, the players, the direction the team is going in,” said Johnson. “You can see this is a club that wants to go in the right direction, and I’m a player who wants to go in that direction, too, so it feels like a really good match.”

Guardian