Erik Lamela accidentally admits Roberto Soldado is leaving Tottenham Hotspur amid Villarreal rumours

Roberto Soldado's moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Villarreal looks to be imminent after Erik Lamela confirmed his teammate's departure via his Twitter account – only to delete it seconds later.

The Spain international arrived at White Hart Lane in the summer of 2014, with Spurs paying Valencia £26m ($40m) as part of the overhaul spurred by the big-money sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.

However, Soldado has struggled to replicate even a slither of his La Liga form during his first two campaigns in North London, putting his future under scrutiny from the get-go.

Villarreal boss Marcelino Garcia Toral told IBTimes UK recently that he would love to bring Soldado back to Spain, but thought reaching a deal with Spurs would not be easy after the fee they shelled out just two summers ago.

"It is very difficult [to sign Soldado]. He is currently in a great team and just two seasons ago they paid a high fee to sign him. It is a difficult situation," Toral said.

The Daily Mirror later reported that the North London club were ready part ways with him for as low as £11m after opening talks with the La Liga side.

Pochettino has since claimed Soldado remains in his plans for the new campaign, but Lamela's latest tweet implies a move to Villarreal is just a matter of time.

While Spurs have been linked with West Brom striker Saido Berahino and Manchester United's Javier Hernandez in recent days, the news about Soldado's departure came just one day after Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed Spurs are on the verge of signing their Cameroon international striker Clinton Njie.

"Tottenham absolutely want N'Njie, we are close to an agreement. Thank Daniel Levy for making a consistent offer," Aulas said.

Should Soldado leave the club he will become the seventh major departure from White Hart Lane this summer after Pochettino previously decided to part ways with Vlad Chiriches, Paulinho, Ettiene Capoue, Benjamin Stambouli, Younes Kaboul and Lewis Holtby.