‘Good business’ – Chelsea urged to sign £26m England star ahead of Man Utd and Liverpool
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso (Picture: AP) Chelsea have been urged to launch a late bid to sign England full-back Djed Spence after he was offered to both Liverpool and Manchester United. Spence has spent just two full seasons at Spurs having initially struggled to secure a first-team role following his £20million move from Championship side Middlesbrough four years ago. But the 25-year-old enhanced his reputation at this summer’s World Cup, producing several standout performances in an England shirt as Thomas Tuchel’s side finished third in North America. Despite those performances, Spence does not appear to be guaranteed regular minutes at Tottenham this season, with Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro preferred by Roberto De Zerbi on both flanks. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. And Spence is therefore keen to seek a summer exit from Spurs, with reports earlier in the week suggesting that both Liverpool and United had been offered the chance to sign the versatile full-back. But former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend believes the Blues should join the race to sign the Englishman as they look to bolster their options at full-back following the departure of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid. ‘I don’t know what he would cost because of how well he did at the World Cup,’ Townsend told talkSPORT. ‘Has that inflated his price tag unreasonably? I genuinely haven’t got a clue. Djed Spence impressed at the World Cup with England (Picture: Getty) ‘If Cucurella is going to Real Madrid for over £60million, I would have thought Djed Spence at £40million, something around that figure, would be a decent acquisition. ‘It wouldn’t do them any harm to have someone who is still looking to improve as a player, who is all ears and wants to get better. ‘He is now showing what he is capable of, so that would be a good piece of business.’ Chelsea may have to move quickly if they are to secure Spence’s signature, though, with reports suggesting that Inter Milan have now entered talks with Spurs over a deal for the defender. Townsend: 'Sanchez not a title-winning goalkeeper' Robert Sanchez (Picture: Reuters) Elsewhere, Townsend urged his former club to find a replacement for Robert Sanchez, who has never fully convinced since his £25m move from Brighton in 2023. ‘Robert Sanchez is one of those goalkeepers that Monday to Friday, he must be unbelievable,’ he added. ‘He must be plucking them out of the top corner and making saves from all angles – he must be brilliant. ‘Everyone at the club thinks there is a proper goalkeeper there, whereas most of us are waiting for a lapse in concentration. You are just waiting for him to scupper all of the good work that clearly he can do. ‘I would have thought that if Chelsea want to win the league, and I am sure they will want to again at some point, they are going to have to upgrade. But they obviously haven’t seen anything they really fancy, so they are going to continue to go with Sanchez.’ Inter are keen to strengthen at right-back after the departure of Denzel Dumfries to Real Madrid. A fee in the region of €30million (£25.6m) could be enough for Spurs to sell Spence, who is under contract until the summer of 2028. Spence would follow in the footsteps of international colleague John Stones, who departed Manchester City to join the Serie A giants on a free transfer last month. Speaking earlier in pre-season, Spurs manager De Zerbi stressed that he is keen for Spence to stay at the club but said he would not stand in the way of any player if they want to move. ‘I repeat what I said to Djed, and to Lucas [Bergvall],’ De Zerbi said. ‘I would like you to stay if you want to stay. If you don’t want to stay, if you want to leave, then you have to leave.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Com
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