Arsenal could be set for a tidy financial windfall as Premier League newsboys Nottingham Forest are eyeing one of their fringe stars, it has been reported.
Forest have already been active in the market this summer as they prepare to stave off relegation. They have broken their transfer record to sign striker Taiwo Awoniyi from Union Berlin and are also aiming to wrap up a deal for Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson who has previously shone in the top-flight with Sheffield United.
Now, the Daily Mail report that Nottingham Forest are weighing up a move for Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Maitland-Niles would spend the second half of 2021/22 on loan at Serie A side AS Roma, for whom he featured on 12 occasions in a number of positions.
view Maitland-Niles as a replacement for wing-back Djed Spence who helped the club win promotion last season during his loan spell from Middlesbrough but now looks set to join Tottenham on a permanent basis.
And whilst AMN has previously suggested he would rather be used as a central midfielder than as a wing-back, the majority of his appearances for Roma last term did come as a left or right-wing-back.
No potential transfer fee is mentioned in the report. But as Maitland-Niles is still only 24 and English, Arsenal should be able to net a decent transfer fee for the midfielder, even if he is out of contract at the Emirates next summer.