Spurs will return part of the fee they got for two players because of a Djed Spence clause.
Tottenham Hotspur will need to give back a small part of the money they got from two other players because of Djed Spence’s move to Inter Milan.
Spence officially joined Inter on Saturday for around €30 million, ending a long wait for the transfer to happen.
The England full-back announced he was leaving just before Spurs beat Hoffenheim 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday. He shared on Instagram: “A special chapter comes to an end. It’s been quite the journey, full of memories and moments I’ll never forget, especially that night in Bilbao.
“Thank you to all the staff who helped me, the players who became like family, and most of all, the fans. It’s time for a new chapter, but Spurs will always have a place in my heart. COYS.”
Because Spence is leaving, Spurs will need to work again with a club they’ve dealt with a lot this summer.
Spence, 26, moved to Tottenham in 2022 from Middlesbrough, a Championship club, for about £19 million.
Boro included a sell-on clause, meaning they get 15% of the fee when Spurs sell Spence again. It’s not clear if this percentage applies to the full sale price of about £3.8 million or just the profit, which would be closer to £1 million.
Spurs have already sold two players to Middlesbrough this summer: striker Will Lankshear for £8 million plus extra fees, and defender Ashley Phillips for £7 million plus extras.
If all the extra payments come through, the total could reach £40 million, and Spurs have sell-on clauses for both players.
With Boro announcing Phillips’ arrival just before Spence’s deal was done, they’ve basically saved a bit on signing the 21-year-old thanks to Spence’s move.
Earlier, Spurs paid £2 million to Boro for Spence before the World Cup, as reports said they owed money once he played two full matches for England.
Middlesbrough has had a very successful summer, first selling star midfielder Hayden Hackney to Everton for £16.5 million, then making at least £20 million from Morgan Rogers’ £117 million transfer from Aston Villa to Chelsea.
This money has helped them spend a lot on new players this summer. Other Championship clubs have had to wait longer to make moves because of the World Cup.
Transfers have started happening more regularly in the past week, but it’s been tough for some clubs trying to get Premier League loan players, since many young players were needed for pre-season after the World Cup break for top stars.