Tottenham Hotspur learn the price they must pay to sign Middlesbrough star Djed Spence
According to the Daily Star (h/t Express), Tottenham Hotspur have been told the price they must pay in order to sign Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence in the summer.
The player was loaned out to fellow Championship side Nottingham Forest for the rest of the season earlier in the campaign, and the right-back has been hugely impressive for the side.
His performances in the second division of the English football pyramid have caught the eye of Tottenham, who are looking to add more quality to their side at the end of the season after having yet another trophyless term in the Premier League.
However, Spurs will have to battle arch-rivals Arsenal to secure Spence’s signature ahead of the new campaign, with the Gunners also looking to strengthen their squad and challenge the Premier League elite in the 2022/23 season.
Spence price tag revealed
The Lilywhites currently have Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal battling it out for a spot in the right-back position, with neither really nailing down the role for themselves under manager Antonio Conte.
With a spot at right-back open, the club have eyed Spence as a suitable replacement for the current roster of defenders they have, but in order to sign him in the summer, they will have to splash out a whopping £20m for the 21-year-old – which will be a club-record for Middlesbrough.
Despite only signing Royal the previous summer, Tottenham are not satisfied with the ex-Barcelona man’s performances this term. Doherty may be first-choice under Conte at the moment, but he too has not been consistent enough to claim the spot for his own.
Spence, meanwhile, has been hugely impressive for Forest on loan this season. A magical run in the FA Cup took place with the defender playing a vital role in the same, with the team beating PL clubs like Arsenal and Leicester City on the way to the quarterfinals, where they were eventually knocked out by Liverpool.
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If we are to make it as a strong side under Conte, then we need the brightest and the best in out squad to work hard under the Italian and ensure that his game plan works to perfection. Only 21, Spence has shown that he has the maturity and ability to take on Premier League clubs during the FA Cup run he had, and that is sure to have impressed his suitors.
With the Gunners also out to get the on-loan Forest defender, Spurs will need to beat the pack and jump ahead in the line to secure Spence’s signature in the summer. We spent all of the winter transfer window sitting back and jumping to action only on deadline day, but that mistake needs to be avoided at the end of the season if we mean serious business in the summer transfer window.
