Sky Sports - Steve Bruce eyeing move for versatile Arsenal midfielder
According to Sky Sports, Steve Bruce is ‘monitoring developments’ as Ainsley Maitland-Niles prepares to depart Arsenal this summer.
Arsenal will allegedly listen to offers ‘in the region of £20million’ for the 22 year old, which may exceed what Mike Ashley is willing to spend on one player- due to the restraining £30million budget available to Bruce this summer.
That said, a loan move with an option to buy may yet prove to be a realistic option for the versatile talent - who can play at full-back, out wide or in midfield.
Here's a snippet from Sky Sports News' piece, which also mentions reported interest from Wolves:
“Newcastle manager Steve Bruce is also monitoring developments at the Emirates over the 22-year-old who has represented England from U17 through to U21 level.
"He was also part of the England squad that won the U20 World Cup in 2017.”
While it’s not stayed by Sky Sports whether we'd be interested in a permanent move or loan deal, you can't help but wonder if we'd be looking at the latter given the transfer kitty that believed to be available to Steve Bruce this summer.
On the contrary, Maitland-Niles certainly fits Mike Ashley’s transfer policy of recent years, being a young talent with fantastic potential and a great sell on value. There is no doubt the promising midfielder could command a sizeable fee in the future, but whether we're able to lure him to Tyneside this summer is another matter.
Moreover, he fits exactly what we need at the moment, with Bruce looking to add creativity to the squad. Mainland-Niles has also proved he can deputise in both fullback positions - an area where Newcastle are lacking quality and depth.
Whether on a loan deal or a permanent basis, there is no doubt that Maitland-Niles would be a brilliant signing in the short term and as Newcastle look to build for the future - either with or without Mike Ashley.
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