Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Football.London that he really likes Ainsley Maitland-Niles amid claims he’s leaving the club.
Wolverhampton Wanderers want to sign Maitland-Niles, but Sky Sports claim that their £15million bid has been rejected.
Arsenal allegedly want at least £20million for Maitland-Niles, meaning Wolves need to come up with some more cash yet.
Their pursuit may have been boosted by Tottenham Hotspur, ironically, given that they’re about to sign Wolves ace Matt Doherty.
Wolves may now ramp up their efforts for Maitland-Niles as a replacement at right wing back, even if the 22-year-old would rather play in midfield.
Arsenal may not want to lose Maitland-Niles, a talented homegrown player with great versatility, but they need cash for their own incomings.
Now, Arteta has noted that he has see the news about Maitland-Niles, but ‘really likes’ him and has since he arrived.
Arteta noted that he played Maitland-Niles in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, which shows just how much he rates him – but he couldn’t totally rule out a deal.
“Yes, we are reading a lot of news about our players which is not bad that other clubs want him but with Ainsley, he’s a player that I’ve said since I joined that I really like,” said Arteta. “The best way to show that is that I have played him in the most important games of the season and he responded really well, so that’s where we are with the player,” he added.
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