Tottenham insider John Wenham believes that Spurs have a ‘heavy interest’ in Nottingham Forest loanee Djed Spence, as per Football Insider.

Spurs were heavily linked with a move for the Middlesbrough defender last month and were thought to be edging closer to a January transfer.

However, as we now know, Tottenham failed to bring the 21-year-old to north London and he remained on loan at the City Ground.

Even though the transfer window is now shut, rumours are already circling ahead of the summer, with reports suggesting that a £10m move ahead of the 2022/23 campaign could already be in the pipeline.

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The Latest: Wenham’s comments

Spurs insider Wenham was talking to Football Insider regarding Spence. He revealed that the club were first alerted to the defender two seasons ago when Jose Mourinho was in charge and even revealed a connection with the former manager’s son, outlining:

“There has been a lot said about Paratici also watching Brennan Johnson at Forest. So they are two players Tottenham seem to have a heavy interest in.

“Spence first came onto Tottenham’s radar when he was playing for Middlesbrough against us two seasons ago when we were managed by Mourinho.

“I understand he came through the academy at Fulham. He’s of Portuguese descent, there was a connection with Mourinho’s son.

“He’s been on Tottenham’s radar for a long period of time. The right-wing back position is one we still need to strengthen.

“A lot of our fans want us to make that move. But just to play devil’s advocate on this, he hasn’t done 5% of what Ryan Sessegnon had done at that age.

“Sessegnon has done next to nothing at Tottenham so excelling in the Championship isn’t a guarantee of success in the Premier League.

“Sessegnon scored 16 goals from left-wing back and won the Championship young player of the year award but hasn’t really done anything for us.

“That being said, Spence is the profile of player we should be targetting.”

The Verdict: Sign

It’s not just Spurs who are keen on Spence, with Arsenal and Leeds also credited with an interest last month.

A £10m move could prove to be a steal in the long run, with Spence being labelled ‘outstanding’ by Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder and a ‘massive player’ by Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff.

Spence may also take to a potential right-wing back role under Antonio Conte further down the line with ease due to being able to play as a right-back or right midfielder. It appears as if he is a future star, so securing his services ahead of two Premier League rivals could be a smart move by Fabio Paratici if he can get it done.

In other news: Spurs now eyeing another pre-contract for this Conte target as update on 'negotiations' emerges