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Arsenal are to hold talks with midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles about his future at the club.
The 24-year-old came close to joining Everton on the last day of the summer transfer window but, at the last minute, the proposed move fell through. However, they remain interested in the England player, although they face competition from Roma, who want to take him on loan in January, with an option to buy in the summer.
Maitland-Niles is keen to progress matters as he wants to be playing regular first-team football.
However, with both Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny about to depart for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) the Gunners are unlikely to sanction any departure until the end of the month unless they can bring in a replacement for him in the meantime.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.