Nottingham Forest are lining up a move for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with Arsenal ready to sell the versatile star.
According to the Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest are monitoring Ainsley Maitland-Niles, as they ponder a summer move for the versatile Arsenal star. The Gunners are keen to offload their academy graduate, who is also intent on moving on from the Emirates.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has struggled for relevance since playing a starring role in Arsenal’s last FA Cup-winning run. The versatile star reached his peak during that period and was subsequently called up to the England squad, for whom he has made five appearances.
Those call-ups have completely dried up, as Maitland-Niles has struggled to find his place in the team. The Arsenal academy graduate always considered himself in a midfield role, although many managers at Arsenal have preferred to play him as a full-back.
Being unhappy at the club made Arsenal let him leave for Roma in a six-month loan deal in January. However, Maitland-Niles failed to impress Jose Mourinho, as the Italian side decided against signing him in a permanent move.
Maitland-Niles is scheduled for a return to Arsenal’s pre-season training, although he is expected to depart in this window. Nottingham Forest have shown the most concrete interest among few other clubs in the 24-year-old, as the Premier League’s promoted side ponder making a move.
Nottingham Forest returned to the Premier League after 23 years, and Steve Cooper is keen to ensure that they do not end up dropping back to the Championship. Their biggest challenge next season would be to survive the ordeal of a relegation battle, and the club are keen on bringing in quality additions to improve their chances.
They have already agreed on a deal with Manchester United for Dean Henderson, which improves their defence. Meanwhile, the Reds broke their transfer record by paying £17 million for Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi, and they are looking for further additions.
Maitland-Niles is earmarked to replace Djed Spence, who could be joining Tottenham in the ongoing window. The Middlesbrough loanee was a star performer on Forest’s road to promotion, and Cooper is eager for the Arsenal academy graduate to fill the void.
Arsenal will be keen to get good value for the England star, despite Maitland-Niles having just one year left on his deal. The Gunners know the player has a good standing among English clubs, and they will look to extract full value for their academy star in the window.
