Tottenham defender Federico Fazio poised to complete move to Roma

Tottenham Hotspur defender Federico Fazio is poised to join Roma in the coming days. Fazio, 29, was signed by Mauricio Pochettino during the Argentine's first summer in charge at White Hart Lane in 2014 but has been out of favour at the club for some time.

After an inauspicious start to life in the Premier League, Fazio struggled to hold down a first-team role with the majority of his appearances for the club coming in the Europa League. In January 2016, he returned to Spain to join Sevilla on loan, and while he picked up a Europa League winners medal, he started just four league games for the Andalusian club.

Pochettino has already made it clear the Argentine defender is not in his plans but a deal with Roma now appears imminent following manager Luciano Spalletti's praise for the player.

"We follow Fazio and we would like to complete his purchase even if it is not official. He has important characteristics, he has won the Europa League," Spalletti told a press conference, Calcio Mercato report.

"In England he did not play consistently, but he has experience. He is a strong player with a strong mentality. We are curious to see him at work consistently."

Fazio's agent has also confirmed a move is close and could be completed as early as Tuesday night with the centre-half set to fly to the Italian capital on Tuesday evening.

"Tonight we will fly from London to Italy. The first contacts weren't recent, [Tottenham's former technical director] Franco Baldini played a key role in this operation," Fazio's agent Salva Sanchez told LaRoma24.

Fazio is also likely to be joined in leaving Spurs by Alex Pritchard and Nabil Bentelab, who have also been told they no longer figure in Pochettino's plans.

"The situation of the other three players is very clear," Pochettino was quoted as saying by ESPN at a press conference on Monday (25 July). "They are not in my plans and they know. I have communicated with them and it was made very clear. It's not a problem. They know the situation and we'll see what happens."