Top-flight club 'in talks' with Tottenham Hotspur to sign defender who joined Leeds United on loan

Former Leeds United loanee Djed Spence looks set for another summer move with reports suggesting Genoa have approached Tottenham Hotspur over a permanent deal.

Spence spent the second-half of the season on loan at Genoa, having seen his spell at Leeds cut short in January. The right-back was an exciting arrival less than 12 months ago but injury issues delayed his influence and an underwhelming run of starts was enough for manager Daniel Farke to call time on his involvement in West Yorkshire.

The 23-year-old only started eight league games after joining Genoa but has seemingly done enough to earn a permanent move to Italy this summer. Fabrizio Romano reports that ‘negotiations are ongoing’ between Genoa, Tottenham and Spence’s camp in a bid to secure a deal early doors.

Tottenham are willing to lose Spence as part of a wider overhaul of fringe players, with the only stumbling block being their potential price-tag. The defender joined for £20million in back in 2022 and those in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will want to recoup a decent portion of that.

Spence’s contract at Tottenham runs until 2027 but he has failed to leave an impression on Ange Postecoglou during his limited time with the Spurs squad. Genoa will hope to present a fresh opportunity for the one highly promising full-back to rediscover his form.

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A large part of Leeds’ decision to agree on a £1m loan fee for Spence was his previous campaigns in the Championship with Nottingham Forest, with six goal contributions aiding his side’s promotion push and earning him a spot in the Championship’s Team of the Season at right-back.

Fitness issues did little to help Spence at Elland Road, nor did the impeccable form of Archie Gray in his favoured position, but underwhelming performances saw Farke swiftly make the decision to send him back to north London, with the suggestion being that he lacked application in certain moments.

“Obviously it's important, the potential and the quality of the player but also it's professionalism, it's discipline, it's workload on and off the pitch and also the soft skills, so also if he's positive and committed, good for the group and engaged with these topics, paint then more or less a picture” Farke said of Spence after triggering the break clause. “And we decided okay, this is the player we want in our group and want to represent Leeds United, our demands are very, very high and we don't differ between loan players, permanent players so we are pretty picky in this topic."

Tottenham are also open to selling Spence’s former Leeds teammate, Joe Rodon, with a return to Elland Road not yet fully off the cards. His likely £15m price-tag could present an issue, given Elland Road will host second-tier football again next season, but the Welsh international became a huge favourite among supporters and made no secret of his love for the club.