Arsenal ace Ainsley Maitland-Niles reportedly looks set to complete a loan move to Roma, with the view to the transfer becoming permanent.
According to Todo Fichajes, the deal should be officially announced soon, with negotiations apparently all done over an initial €1.5million loan move that can be made permanent for around €10m in the summer.
Roma could be making a fine signing here if it goes through, with Maitland-Niles arguably one of the most underrated and underused talents in this Arsenal squad.
The England international has never let the Gunners down when he’s played in the first-team, with his versatility, work rate and intelligence making him a key performer in some big games in the past.
Strangely, however, Mikel Arteta hasn’t relied on him that much since his influential displays in FA Cup semi-final and final victories over Manchester City and Chelsea, respectively, in the 2019/20 season.
Many Arsenal fans will surely be disappointed to see Maitland-Niles moving on, but it will be interesting to see if his move abroad can prove a boost to his development, as it has with a growing number of English players in recent years.
The 24-year-old would be joining Tammy Abraham at the Stadio Olimpico, while Fikayo Tomori has also benefited a lot from leaving Chelsea for AC Milan.
Still, overall you get the feeling this could be one that Arsenal live to regret, so it’ll be interesting to see the reaction if and when this is made official.