Southampton to beat Newcastle & Crystal Palace to Ainsley Maitland-Niles loan

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Southampton to beat Newcastle & Crystal Palace to Ainsley Maitland-Niles loan

Southampton are set to win the race to sign Arsenal utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan, 90min understands.

The England international has not featured for the Gunners yet this season and has increasingly become a bit-part player at the Emirates Stadium.

He has spent the second half of the last two seasons on loan at West Bromwich Albion and AS Roma respectively, helping the latter to Europa Conference League glory.

And 90min understands that Maitland-Niles is set to leave on loan again, this time to Southampton for the rest of the 2022/23 campaign.

90min reported on Tuesday that Newcastle United had opened talks with Arsenal regarding the 25-year-old after Emil Krafth suffered an ACL injury, while Crystal Palace have since also registered an interest.

But he will now head to St Mary's to join a Saints side who have started the new season brightly and currently sit seventh in the Premier League table.

Maitland-Niles will become Southampton's seventh senior signing of the summer and will provide them with cover at right-back and in central midfield.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are still looking to offload further fringe players before Thursday's deadline - notably, Barcelona are interested in taking Hector Bellerin to Camp Nou.