According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are in discussions with both West Brom and Southampton over a potential loan move for Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
The 23-year-old is keen to taste regular first-team football, with the Baggies and the Saints in pole position to land him.
Interestingly, the England international wants to play in midfield, whereas he is often stuck in defence at the Emirates Stadium.
The Daily Mail add that Wolves and Atletico Madrid were also interested in the Gunners academy graduate over the summer.
If Maitland-Niles ends up choosing Southampton, it could reap benefits for Arsenal in their hunt for Ryan Bertrand.
The Daily Mail say that any deal which sees the versatile Englishman join Southampton could involve the £70,000-a-week left-back moving to north London.
Intriguingly, the Evening Standard recently revealed that Bertrand is a target for Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard is looking to provide competition for Kieran Tierney following Sead Kolasinac’s exit.
In that respect, it makes more sense for Arsenal to negotiate with Southampton instead of West Brom, in our view.
It could be a deal which sees Maitland-Niles continue his development with regular football, while it may also involve Arteta getting his hands on a player he wants regardless.
If we were in Edu’s shoes, we’d definitely be chatting to the Saints more than the Baggies.
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