Tottenham offload Federico Fazio and Clinton Njie as Juan Foyth deal edges closer

It looks likely to be a case of one in and one out at Tottenham Hotspur as far as Argentine centre-backs are concerned, with Federico Fazio completing his permanent transfer to AS Roma as the Premier League runners-up look to secure the signing of Juan Foyth from Estudiantes.

Having been deemed surplus to requirements by Mauricio Pochettino, Fazio spent the 2016-17 season on loan in the Italian capital and made 48 appearances across all competitions as the Giallorossi finished as runners-up to Juventus in Serie A.

As revealed by Roma at the time, such a deal was worth an initial €1.2m (£1m, $1.3m) and included the option for a permanent €3.2m transfer dependent on the "completion of certain sporting targets".

Fazio simply never made the grade at White Hart Lane following an £8m move from Sevilla three summers ago. He was sent off on his top-flight debut at Manchester City and featured only 31 more times before returning to his former employers on a temporary basis in January 2016.

His second spell in La Liga proved a disappointment, although he did manage to collect a second Europa League winners' medal.

With Fazio's exit now sealed, Tottenham, who have yet to make a single signing so far this summer, can push on with their pursuit of Foyth. Estudiantes president Juan Sebastian Veron is said to have travelled to London for talks over the transfer of the 19-year-old, with both clubs apparently confident of reaching an agreement worth in the region of £8m.

The player himself recently told Argentine outlet El Dia that he is aware of the negotiations with Spurs, but does "not know how far they will go" and if he will "finally be transferred".

Fazio is not the only player to leave Tottenham this weekend. The club further announced on Sunday morning that they had settled on terms with Marseille for the permanent transfer of Clinton Njie following a season-long loan that saw him score four times in 21 Ligue 1 outings.

Confusion had initially reigned as to his situation, with the Cameroon forward returning to OM for pre-season training despite the fact that neither club had yet confirmed any new deal. Njie was only signed from Lyon in August 2015, but failed to register much of an impact during 14 appearances under Pochettino.

Fazio and Njie follow Kyle Walker out of Spurs, with the England right-back having completed his record £50m switch to Manchester City on Friday. Midfielder Nabil Bentaleb has also joined former loan club Schalke on a full-time deal that was originally announced back in February.