Ainsley Maitland-Niles has reportedly emerged on the radar of Atletico Madrid over a January loan move while PSV have approached Arsenal over a possible transfer.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has emerged as a target for Atletico Madrid over a possible loan move in the January transfer window. The Arsenal man is viewed as a stopgap solution for the Spanish heavyweights following the 10-week suspension issued to Kieran Trippier.
Maitland-Niles joined Arsenal as a six-year-old before progressing through the ranks at the club. Widely regarded as one of the best prospects of his generation within the academy, the 23-year-old broke into the first-team setup aged just 17. However, it is since the 2017/18 season that he has been a regular member of the first-team.
Under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta though, game-time has come at a premium for the English international, who has been primarily used as a backup option over the past year or so. This term, the youngster has started 12 games for Arsenal, with the majority of those coming in cup outings. His situation has now alerted Atletico Madrid.
Atletico Madrid have benefitted from the arrival of Kieran Trippier in the summer of 2019. The Englishman has nailed down the right-back berth, but is now set to miss 10 weeks of footballing action after being handed a worldwide ban for breaching FA betting regulations. This has forced the Spanish heavyweights into the transfer market for a temporary right-back solution.
To that end, Maitland-Niles is a viable target for Atletico Madrid over a short-term loan deal. Having said that, it is unclear as if Arsenal would be willing to let go of the 23-year-old despite Cedric Soares being Hector Bellerin’s understudy for the right-back slot.
However, with Maitland-Niles growing frustrated over a lack of game-time, a loan move could well be in the offing, as was the case in the summer. What now remains to be seen is if Atletico Madrid do follow up on their interest with a concrete move and if Arsenal allow him to leave temporarily in January.
Meanwhile, as per football.london, PSV are the latest club to have expressed an interest in signing William Saliba in the January transfer window. The Frenchman is also being courted by a number of clubs in his homeland France over a possible loan move this winter.
Saliba joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019 but was immediately sent back on loan to the Ligue 1 outfit. Highly regarded before being snapped up by the Gunners, the youngster enjoyed another solid campaign with the French club before returning to the Emirates this past summer.
However, the 19-year-old has struggled to establish a foothold within the first-team setup thus far, and has been relegated to the under-23 squad. In fact, Saliba is yet to make his debut for the north Londoners, with Mikel Arteta taking his own sweet time to ease him into his plans. Such a scenario has understandably left him frustrated; a possible loan move away from Arsenal has been mooted.
Saint-Etienne has been touted to be eyeing a temporary return for Saliba, while OGC Nice have also emerged in his pursuit. Now, though, PSV are the latest club to have made an enquiry for the Arsenal outcast, with teams from Germany, Italy and Spain also interested.
Roger Schmidt currently has as many as five centre-backs at his disposal, with PSV boasting the second-best defensive record in Eredivisie. So, their pursuit of Saliba is surprising, and it is unclear whether the teenager will manage to record regular playing time at the Dutch club.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if PSV do approach Arsenal with an offer for Saliba and it will subsequently be interesting to see if the Gunners allow the 19-year-old to leave on a short-term loan deal. The player himself, though, might just be pushing for a transfer.
