Tottenham Hotspur's attempts to offload one of their unwanted defenders has reportedly suffered a setback, as Genoa have ended their interest in a permanent deal for Djed Spence.
The former Middlesbrough man has failed to cut the mustard in North London since arriving in the summer of 2022 for £12.4m, not long after starring in Nottingham Forest's run to Premier League promotion.
Antonio Conte did not see fit to give Spence many opportunities in his side, and the right-back ended his debut season at Tottenham with just six appearances and 43 minutes under his belt.
Furthermore, all of those outings came from the bench, and Conte allowed the Englishman to spend the rest of the campaign on loan with Ligue 1 side Rennes, where he made 10 appearances.
Spence also failed to play his way into Ange Postecoglou's good books in pre-season, instead being shipped out to Leeds United on loan, but his time at Elland Road was plagued by injuries.
Genoa 'refuse' to meet Tottenham price demands
The 23-year-old had begun to earn regular starts for the Whites, but he departed in January and tried his hand at Serie A football with Genoa, where he played 16 times and started eight games in the Italian top flight.
Spence failed to register a goal or assist in Serie A, but Genoa were believed to be keen on keeping him on the books permanently and possessed the option to sign him for €10m (£8.5m).
The Italian side refused to fork out that amount, although Tottenham reportedly lowered their demands and set Spence's new asking price at €7m (£5.9m), which they would not lower.
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Genoa are set to walk away from a permanent deal for Spence due to Tottenham's price demands, and the club have already identified an ideal alternative.
Instead of pursuing Spence, Genoa will try to conclude a deal for Napoli's Alessandro Zanoli, whom they will pay a €500k (£422.5k) loan fee for before a €6m (£5.1m) obligation comes into effect next year.
What next for Spence after Genoa collapse?
With a move back to Italy now off the cards, Spence will be expected to report back to North London for pre-season training, and the 23-year-old is still under contract in North London for another three seasons.
The right-back showed enough potential at Nottingham Forest to suggest that he could make a name for himself in the Premier League, so much so that Arsenal were thought to be rivalling Spurs for his services.
However, for whatever reason, it just has not worked out for Spence - whose signing was thought to have been driven by chairman Daniel Levy - and a move back to the Championship is seemingly the best outcome for all parties.
If Spence can blow Postecoglou away in the pre-season period, there is a slight chance that he could reignite his Lilywhites career, but that is incredibly difficult to envisage.
