Southampton are among the clubs ‘interested’ in signing Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to respected journalist Ryan Taylor.
The lowdown:
A product of the youth system at Arsenal, Maitland-Niles has spent time on loan at Ipswich and West Brom prior to a spell at AS Roma last term.
Since returning from Italy, the 24-year-old England international has failed to break into Mikel Arteta’s plans at the start of the 2022/23 campaign and another move could be on the cards.
Now in the final 12 months of a deal in London, Maitland-Niles has been attracting plenty of interest in the summer window and one well-informed onlooker has shed some light on the situation…
The latest: ‘Interested’
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor – a journalist for the Daily Express – has claimed that Southampton are among the clubs ‘interested’ in the five-cap England ace, although West Ham are also on the lookout for the midfielder.
He said: “Maitland-Niles is definitely one (West Ham want). He obviously has one year left on his Arsenal contract.
“But there are other Premier League clubs interested – Fulham, Bournemouth and Southampton as well.”
The verdict: Make a move
Offering supreme versatility and of an age to further develop an already well-rounded skillset, signing Maitland-Niles would be a superb piece of business from the St Mary’s hierarchy.
Linked elsewhere to Manchester United midfielder James Garner, it’s evident that the Saints are keen to bolster the midfield department on the south coast.
Last season, the Englishman – who was hailed as a ‘huge talent’ by Arteta in 2021 – made 23 appearances across all competitions in England and Italy and was part of Jose Mourinho’s Roma side that lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League.
In need of a fresh start to kickstart a stuttering career, adding the £9million valued star to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad for anything like a previously mooted £12.6million asking price would be a smart acquisition.
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