Arsenal are open to offers for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson before the end of the summer window, though Nelson’s injury could prove problematic.

Football.London wrote this week that Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson in the final few weeks of the summer transfer window.

Maitland-Niles certainly doesn’t appear to have much of a future at Arsenal. The midfielder played some part in pre-season, but not a significant amount, and he was left out of Arsenal’s opening game of the league campaign.

The young Englishman had a disappointing loan to AS Roma last season, even if it did end with the Europa Conference League trophy. He only made 10 starts under Jose Mourinho, out of 27 matches.

Yet this is a 24-year-old who was in the England squad as recently as 2020, who has plenty of top-level experience, and only a year left on his Arsenal deal. You’d expect someone to come in for him eventually.

Nelson’s situation is more complicated. There have been suggestions that Arsenal intend to keep him this season, he made the most of his pre-season cameos to score against Orlando City, and he was in the squad against Crystal Palace on Friday.

To make matters even more difficult to assess, Nelson has since picked up an injury that could spoil his chances of an exit altogether.

Last season, the winger also had almost the exact reverse of Maitland-Niles’ loan spell.

Whilst he faced the disappointment of a Europa Conference League final defeat, he played 33 times and directly contributed to 11 goals. Many of those goals came in the final few months of the season, as he finished on a high.

Arsenal might not be too unhappy to keep Nelson around for another year, but the injury hasn’t left them with many choices, unless a club is willing to gamble on his fitness.