Tottenham Hotspur remain locked in talks to sign Djed Spence this summer...

What's the word?

That's according to the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick, who claims that the north London outfit have continued negotiating with Middlesbrough over the 21-year-old defender.

Although they are yet to have a bid accepted and as such, no deal has been completed in time for Spurs' pre-season tour in South Korea.

It's thought that the two clubs are discussing the 'finer details' of the deal and that the Lilywhites are hopeful of striking an agreement soon.

Antonio Conte is said to have made a new right wing-back a priority this transfer window, whilst Spence is expected to cost between £15m to £20m.

Conte will be delighted

The Italian head coach may not have his new right wing-back in place for their pre-season games against Team K League and Sevilla but he will be delighted to know that the club continue to push ahead with their plans to try and sign Spence.

After all, he has wanted a new player in the role ever since he walked through the door back in November.

During the January transfer window, The Times revealed that Conte wasn't happy with his options as he targeted Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore prior to his move to Barcelona.

It was claimed that the former Inter Milan boss was unconvinced by Emerson Royal and his ability to influence the game in the final third. Meanwhile, Matt Doherty ended the campaign with a serious injury, so it remains to be seen if he can work his way back into the manager's thoughts.

Spence was lauded as "swashbuckling" by Arsenal legend Ian Wright after the north London rivals were knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest, and Spurs will be hoping he can bring some of those attributes to N17.

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The England U21 international delivered six goal contributions across 42 starts for the Reds during his loan spell, which compared to Emerson (two) is a vast improvement, albeit coming from the division below.

Therefore, with the deal not dead and buried with sporting director Fabio Paratici continuing negotiations, Conte will be buzzing as Spence could well become their sixth signing of the summer window.

AND in other news, Transfer insider drops "surprise" Spurs claim...