AS Roma are hopeful of reaching an agreement to sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles, which could include an obligation clause rather than just an option.
Football.London report that Ainsley Maitland-Niles is keen to leave Arsenal in the January transfer window, and AS Roma are hopeful of reaching an agreement with the Gunners.
But whilst all the reports so far have centred on a loan with an option to buy, Football.London claim the deal could even include an obligation clause.
The clause would be in the region of £10-12m, and it would be linked to the number of appearances Maitland-Niles makes. The more he plays during his loan spell, the more likely his move will turn permanent.
Arsenal have done various loan deals with options and obligations to buy this season.
Lucas Torreira has an option to buy in his Fiorentina loan, Matteo Guendouzi has an obligation in his Marseille deal, and Konstantinos Mavropanos has both – with Stuttgart having an obligation to buy if they avoid relegation and an option if they don’t.
Gianluigi Longari is one of a few in Italy to claim Maitland-Niles has an agreement on personal terms with Roma. But the club-to-club agreement remains out of reach, for now.
On Monday, it was reported that Roma had made their first offer to Arsenal for Maitland-Niles, proposing a loan with an option to buy.
According to the report, Roma proposed an initial loan for a fee of €500-700k with an option to buy worth €10m in the summer.
Arsenal wanted more than that, but it was said that an agreement was not far off.
At first, Maitland-Niles wasn’t reportedly not convinced by Roma’s proposal, but after holding talks with the club, he learned they intend to sign him permanently in the summer if he does well on his loan. That seemingly won him over.
ESPN were the first to report that Roma were in talks to sign Maitland-Niles on loan. They wrote that the player is open to the move, and Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto had made contact with Arsenal.
The Athletic confirmed that Roma are interested in Maitland-Niles, though they claimed the move was at an early stage last week.
The outlet added that Everton are still interested in the player, but he would prefer to join Roma.