Newcastle United are reportedly ready to rival Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Djed Spence, but Nottingham Forest may still have the upper hand.
According to a report by football.london, Newcastle United are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Middlesbrough right-back Djed Spence this summer. That is despite Tottenham Hotspur being considered as the leading candidates for his signature after it was revealed that the 21-year-old is intrigued by the idea of working with head coach Antonio Conte at the north London outfit.
Spence progressed through the Fulham academy system before making the switch to Middlesbrough in 2018. The English defender has racked up 70 senior appearances for Boro in the second tier. Spence was allowed to leave the Riverside Stadium last summer by former manager Neil Warnock to get some much-needed game time, leading to a season-long loan to Nottingham Forest.
Since then, the 21-year-old has not looked back and made the best use of his loan stint. He has just helped Nottingham Forest clinch promotion to the Premier League. The flying right-back has been one of Forest’s standout performers and a mainstay in Steve Cooper’s starting eleven, recording 50 appearances across all competitions, netting three goals and registering five assists.
Regarded as one of the hottest properties in English football at the moment, it is no surprise that many top-flight clubs are linked with Spence, with Tottenham said to be the front-runners in the chase for his services.
With Ivan Perisic’s signature secured, Tottenham are likely to ramp up their pursuit of right-sided wing-back Djed Spence. Antonio Conte is still unconvinced of Emerson Royal, despite the Brazilian’s improved performances in the latter half of the 2021/22 season.
Spence’s playing style might complement Conte’s famed 3-4-3 formation. Tottenham’s right side would certainly benefit from Spence’s speed and dribbling ability. The youngster has also shown that he can compete with the best and was named the man of the match in Arsenal’s 1-0 FA Cup third-round ouster at the hands of Forest.
Newcastle United have now joined the long list of potential suitors keen on making a swoop for Spence, who is currently settled in the North-East with Middlesbrough. This could very well play into Newcastle’s hands when it comes down to personal terms, as the player will not have to relocate or travel much to reach St. James’ Park.
The Magpies signed Kieran Trippier in January, and he is Newcastle’s current number one at right-back. Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth currently cover for Trippier, and while the latter performed admirably while filling in for the former Atletico Madrid man, Spence is clearly superior in quality to both of them and will be considered a significant upgrade if Newcastle sign him.
It has previously been rumoured that Middlesbrough will seek a sum of around £20 million for the full-back. But as per football.london, Spence is valued at £16 million, which is certainly a sniff in the current over-bloated market.
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That being said, a permanent move to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest is not completely out of the picture as the 21-year-old English defender wants to be playing regular first-team football after falling out of favour at his parent club.