Djed Spence Joins Inter Milan After Tottenham Departure
Djed Spence has closed what he called a “special chapter” at Tottenham Hotspur and walked straight into one of Europe’s biggest stages, completing a move to Inter Milan on a five-year deal.
The fee is around €30 million, sources told ESPN, a figure that underlines how sharply his stock has risen over the past 12 months. Inter see the 26-year-old as the man to step into the role vacated by Denzel Dumfries, who joined Real Madrid earlier in the summer.
From Bilbao to Milan
Spence leaves north London with 85 appearances for Spurs and a Europa League winner’s medal, that triumph – capped by “that night in Bilbao,” as he put it – the defining memory of his time at the club.
“A special chapter comes to an end,” he wrote on social media before the transfer was made official by both clubs. “It’s been some journey, with plenty of memories, moments and experiences that I’ll carry with me for forever, especially that night in Bilbao.
“Thanks to all the staff members who’ve helped me along the way, the players who’ve become family & most importantly thank you to the fans. Time for a new chapter now, but Spurs will always have a place in my heart. COYS !!!”
His farewell lands at a moment of sharp change for Tottenham. Just hours earlier, the club confirmed captain Cristian Romero’s move to Atlético Madrid, another pillar of the dressing room heading for the exit.
World Cup springboard
If there was a single stretch that pushed this deal over the line, it came in the summer. Spence featured in all eight of England’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, starting both the semifinal defeat to Argentina and the third-place playoff win over France. His performances in that run transformed him from solid Premier League full-back into a defender in demand across the continent.
Spurs had anticipated this scenario. When they signed him from Middlesbrough in July 2022 for £19 million, the deal included a series of add-ons tied to international milestones. His England debut in September 2025, sources say, triggered a £1m payment back to Boro. By the time Thomas Tuchel named him in his World Cup squad, Tottenham knew his valuation was climbing fast.
He delivered on that stage. And once his value spiked, club figures were ready to cash in.
De Zerbi reshapes the flanks
There was also a clear footballing calculation. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi never fully built his plans around Spence for the coming season. ESPN had previously reported that the Italian did not see him as essential, a stance that hardened last month when De Zerbi publicly described Pedro Porro as the “best in the world” in the right-back role.
On the opposite flank, Spurs have already moved to strengthen. Andy Robertson has arrived on a free transfer after leaving Liverpool and is expected to play a major role at left-back, pushing Destiny Udogie if the younger defender can shake off a difficult, fitness-troubled preseason.
The message is blunt: Tottenham’s back line is being rebuilt, and no reputation is safe.
Second shot at Serie A
For Spence, Milan offers both a fresh start and a familiar backdrop. This will be his second spell in Italy after a six-month loan at Genoa in 2024, a stint that gave him a first taste of Serie A but nothing like the pressure he will face at San Siro.
Now he arrives not as a loanee finding his feet, but as a World Cup starter and a €30m investment, signed to replace a proven performer in Dumfries. Inter have bet big on his ability to carry that England form into a side expected to compete deep into the Champions League and fight for the Scudetto.
Tottenham, for their part, lose another World Cup-calibre defender on the same day their captain walks out. Inter gain a full-back entering his prime, hardened by a World Cup run and a European trophy.
One chapter closes in north London. Another begins in Milan, under brighter lights and higher stakes.
