There has been a fresh update regarding Tottenham Hotspur's interest in promising Englishman, Djed Spence...
What's the word?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed that negotiations are "ongoing" regarding a move for the 21-year-old - who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest - although Middlesbrough's valuation is proving something of a sticking point.
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He stated: "Talks are definitely ongoing. I think the big issue here is the fact that Nottingham Forest had a pre-agreed deal to sign Djed Spence at a price that was about £13million.
“Tottenham are being quoted a price that is higher than that because they didn’t already have an arrangement in place.”
The full-back - who is likely to cost in the region of £20m - has reportedly been a target for the north London side since March, with the player seemingly favouring a move to the club over a return to newly-promoted Forest.
Bye-Bye Emerson
It is remarkable how quickly a player's career can change, with Spence having gone from being dubbed surplus to requirements at parent club Boro, to now being on the cusp of joining a Champions League level side in Spurs, all via a breakthrough temporary spell at the City Ground.
That standout 2021/22 campaign saw the £7.2m-rated gem play a vital role in Steve Cooper's side securing a long-awaited return to the top-flight, scoring two goals and proving four assists in 42 Championship appearances, averaging an impressive 1.5 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 1.1 clearances per game in that time.
It was his form in the club's impressive FA Cup run that firmly thrust him into wider focus, however, playing an integral part of a side that saw off the likes of Arsenal and Leicester City en route to the last eight, where they were only narrowly defeated by eventual winners, Liverpool.
A player clearly on the rise, the £4.4k-per-week starlet has seemingly been earmarked by sporting director Fabio Paratici as the man to solve the Lilywhites' wing-back woes this summer, with neither Matt Doherty nor Emerson Royal having truly convinced on the right flank under manager Antonio Conte.
The latter man, in particular, has struggled for consistency since his £25.8m switch from Barcelona last summer, scoring just one goal and providing only a solitary assist in 31 Premier League outings, with such a poor attacking output simply not up to scratch in what is such an important role in Conte's 3-4-3 formation.
As pundit Alex McLeish has suggested, the former Real Betis man appears to be "struggling to cope with the pace" of the English top-flight, with his unconvincing displays thus far having heightened the need for a new recruit.
The Brazil international has been linked with an exit of late, with the arrival of Spence seemingly set to hasten his departure - a fact few of a Tottenham persuasion will shed any tears over.
AND in other news: Fabrizio Romano now reveals "very advanced" talks, Spurs supporters will be gutted