Tottenham Hotspur are still some way short of Middlesbrough’s £15 million valuation of Djed Spence.

According to Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas, Spurs are £5 million short of coming to an agreement with Boro for the 21-year old.

It was initially reported that the Teesside club are hoping to guarantee a minimum fee of £15 million in any potential deal to sell Spence.

But the North London side are yet to come close to that valuation as they believe a £10 million fee up front, with add-ons, is a fair price for the full back.

Antonio Conte is hoping to add the Boro player as his fourth signing of the summer having already secured Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma.

But Boro are determined to earn what they see as an appropriate fee for the player who only has 12 months remaining on his current deal at the Riverside.

Spence raised his profile over the last season having played a crucial role in Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League while on loan.

He played 42 times in the season for the Reds, scoring twice and earning four assists as he asserted himself as a key part of the team under Steve Cooper.

The England underage international is now hoping to establish himself as a Premier League player this summer following his exceptional performances in Nottinghamshire.

The Verdict

This may ultimately be a transfer saga that runs into July given the history Tottenham have with transfer targets.

A £5 million difference in valuation will not likely be solved easily considering the overall cost of the fee.

But this deal will likely still go through eventually given the desire from all parties to come to some agreement.

Spence deserves to ply his trade in the top flight and Boro could use the funds received to improve their squad for a tilt at promotion from the Championship this season.