Tottenham close to sealing £2.8m transfer of 29-year-old – report
By Will Butcher
Tottenham are poised to complete the sale of defender Federico Fazio to Serie A giants Roma for a fee of £2.8million, according to a report.
Italian publication Gazzetta Dello Sport claim Fazio has reached the number of appearances required to make his loan move at Roma permanent, with a contract until 2019 on the table.
The 29-year-old, who joined the Italian club on a loan-to-buy deal last summer, has become one of the first names on the team sheet at the Stadio Olimpico this season, playing in 25 of Roma’s 30 league and cup encounters.
Keeping a total of 11 clean sheets during his time at Roma, Fazio is now expected to complete a permanent move away from White Hart Lane.
Roma believe they have a bargain in Fazio, after Luciano Spalletti brought him to Italy for a loan fee of just £1million which would take Fazio’s total transfer fee to just under £4million.
Speaking after Sunday’s 1-0 league win over Cagliari, Spalletti lauded his loan signing as he formed a three-man defence with Antonio Rudiger and Kostas Manolas.
“For us, it is now impossible to do without him,” Spalletti said, as quoted by Gazzetta Dello Sport.
Signed from Sevilla in the summer of 2014, Fazio struggled to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League and has made just 32 appearances in all competitions for the London side.
Football Insider verdict:
The three-time Argentina international was likely to be on a large contract with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, and cutting his pay cheque from the wage bill could free up some cash for Fazio’s compatriot Pochettino to spend, if a permanent deal is confirmed before the end of the January transfer window. Selling Fazio could benefit Spurs in the transfer market as they look to bolster their squad with the right options, if they become available. With the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier, Jan Vertonghen and Kevin Wimmer all ahead of Fazio in the pecking order at White Hart Lane, a move away from Spurs seemed like the only viable move for the 6ft 3in defender.
In other Tottenham transfer news, Guillem Balague has given this transfer update on Spurs’ pursuit of this La Liga playmaker.
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