Ainsley Maitland-Niles has decided to leave Arsenal this summer and has accepted that any attractive potential buyers will see him as a right-back.

West Bromwich Albion v Everton - Premier League - The Hawthorns Everton's Bernard left and West Bromwich Albion's Ainsley Maitland-Niles battle for the ball during the Premier League match at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich. Picture date: Thursday March 4, 2021. Copyright: Nick Potts
West Bromwich Albion v Everton – Premier League – The Hawthorns Everton’s Bernard left and West Bromwich Albion’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles battle for the ball during the Premier League match at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich. Picture date: Thursday, March 4, 2021. Copyright: Nick Potts

The Telegraph report that Ainsley Maitland-Niles has resolved to leave Arsenal this summer. He knows that any top Premier League clubs interested will see him as a right-back, and he’s accepted that situation.

The likes of Wolves, Leicester City, and Southampton are expected to be interested, as well as potentially some clubs even further up the table.

Wolves previously tried to sign Maitland-Niles as a right-back last summer. David Ornstein initially reported the formal offer as below £20m, later clarifying it was £15m. Arsenal wanted much more than £15m, so it was rejected.

Even now, after a season where Maitland-Niles hasn’t entirely excelled, £15m still seems like a bit of a joke bid. This is a young, versatile, homegrown player with plenty of interest around the Premier League and international caps to his name.

There’s no reason why Arsenal shouldn’t be able to get at least £20m for Maitland-Niles, especially given the precedent set by Alex Iwobi’s big-money transfer to Everton.

For now, he’ll focus on trying to impress in midfield for the remainder of his loan with West Bromwich Albion. They return from the international break with a match against Chelsea on Saturday, 2nd April at 12:30 BST.