Ainsley Maitland-Niles looks like he will spend next season on loan with Southampton but only after extending his Arsenal contract.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is out of contract next summer, but the club also have an option to extend the 25-year-old’s deal until 2024, and it looks like that might be what they are doing amid reports of his contract being extended.

Fabrizio Romano also reports that the utility player, who wants to play in midfield, will join the Saints on loan for the season and that they will have an option to buy him next summer.

Southampton want him because he can play in both full-back positions.

https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1564947905362153473

https://twitter.com/j_tanswell/status/1564956337154543617?s=21&t=sKP8bgS9z0t6ngOkYQl51A

Maitland-Niles has not been named in a single matchday squad for Arsenal this season as Mikel Arteta makes it clear he has no future at the club under his management.

Spending the second half of last season on loan with Roma, the Italians had been keen to buy him on a permanent basis but as his loan spell wore on, they became less enamoured with that idea.

There is no denying that Maitland-Niles has the talent to play regularly in the Premier League and many at Arsenal would like to see him given more chances at the club, but there seems to be something in him that keeps him from reaching the very top.

He’s made 132 appearances for Arsenal, scoring three and assisting eight across a total of 8,183 minutes.

I’m not overly sure how many more chances Maitland-Niles should get, as much as I’d love to see him make it at the club.

On unrelated Maitland-Niles news, he has just become a father:

Ainsley with the new baby. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZSQYNqwceh

— Tara (@4jinxremoving) August 31, 2022