Everton’s right-back hunt shortens as Spence closes in on Inter Milan move
Everton have missed out on Djed Spence, with the Tottenham full-back closing in on a £25.6m move to Inter Milan.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Spence has agreed personal terms with Inter and the deal is “almost done with final steps to follow,” as Spurs prepare to cash in on their England international.
It ends any lingering hope at Finch Farm of landing the 26-year-old, who impressed for England at the World Cup and had been seen as one of the more realistic right-back options given his experience in the position.
It leaves David Moyes still searching for cover there with the season 10 days away.
Nathan Patterson remains the only recognised right-back in the squad following Seamus Coleman’s departure, and Everton have already seen a move for Alistair Johnston stall over Celtic’s valuation, complicated further this week by an injury scare that could rule the Canadian out of Celtic’s Champions League play-off.
Barcelona’s Hector Fort has also emerged as an option, with reports suggesting Everton are currently favourites for his signature, though Barcelona’s demands around a sell-on clause are still to be resolved.
With Spence now off the table, the pressure on Everton to get one of the Johnston or Fort deals over the line before the window shuts only increases. There’s no suggestion of an imminent alternative move from Everton at this stage.
We’ll have more as it develops — follow every twist in Everton’s right-back search on our live transfer tracker.
Gary is editor for ReadEverton. He has many years experience of sports writing behind him after deciding (belatedly) that the world of accountancy wasn't for him. His work has been featured on (among many others) BBC Sport and The Metro. He has written on many sports, but considers himself an expert in football and F1. When not writing and editing he likes to go to the cinema and sip a lovely cold pint of Guinness (not always at the same time).
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