Arsenal will listen to offers for Ainsley Maitland-Niles this summer after putting him up for sale at £30million, according to The Sun.
Brighton are interested in the former England under-21, who can play at right back or in midfield, with the youngster said to be pondering his future.
Maitland-Niles, 22, has three years left on his current deal with the Gunners but he wants regular first-team football.
In an ideal world he would become a regular under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, but his chances have been restricted, which has alerted a number of clubs across the Premier League.
The Telegraph says the Gunners board overruled Arteta and will shop Maitland-Niles this summer.
The Spaniard attempted to persuade his superiors to keep Maitland-Niles due to the Europa League fixture pile-up.
But the club are under pressure to raise cash this summer and view the 22-year-old as surplus to requirements.
Brighton have been linked with the Hale End graduate, who can operate in defence and midfield.
The Gunners are also cutting costs having announced they are proposing 55 staff redundancies as the coronavirus pandemic continues to negatively impact the club’s finances.
In a statement made by the club’s sporting and financial chiefs Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham on Wednesday, the north London club admitted that these cuts are necessary in order to make sure they ‘operate in a sustainable and responsible way’.
Sanllehi and Venkatesham confirmed that investment in the first-team squad is a ‘key priority’ and that a 30-day consultation period will begin to determine the redundancies.
COMMENTS