According to David Ornstein, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is set for crunch talks with Mikel Arteta in an attempt to push through a move to Everton.

The Lowdown: Late drama

The Toffees have been pushing to sign Maitland-Niles, who is currently being frozen out with Premier League strugglers Arsenal.

The Gunners have refused to let him depart, and the 24-year-old even took to Instagram to share his anger with not being allowed to leave (The Guardian).

The Latest: Maitland-Niles set for Arteta talks

Now, as per Ornstein, it seems £14.4m-valued Maitland-Niles (Transfermarkt) is to make one last attempt to move to Goodison Park.

He 'plans to meet' for talks with Arteta 'this afternoon', hoping to seal a dramatic late switch before the end of the deadline.

The Verdict: Desperate

There is no doubt about it - Maitland-Niles is desperate to leave the Emirates Stadium. That is hardly surprising - he made just 11 appearances across the first half of last season for the club, and has only come on from the bench twice this time around (Transfermarkt).

Given his versatility - he can play on either side of the back four and can feature across the midfield - he is a very interesting option for Rafael Benitez, especially given Stuart Pearce called him "outstanding" last season.

The Spaniard will be hoping those discussions with Arteta go the right way, as this move could add depth behind Seamus Coleman and some extra quality in midfield too.

In other news, Everton fans react to this big striker news.