West Ham considering move for Arsenal defender

West Ham are considering a move for Arsenal defender, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking on his 'Here We Go' podcast, Romano said the following:

"West Ham are interested in signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

"Arsenal are working on a solution for him to leave."

Maitland-Niles has just one year left on his current Arsenal contract and does not feature in Mikel Arteta's plans.

Having gone on loan to West Bromwich Albion for the second half of the 2020/21 season, the midfielder spoke out on social media.

Maitland-Niles' move away to Everton had broken down and the Englishman let out his frustration, posting the following on Instagram:

"All I wanna do is go where I'm wanted and where I'm gonna play"

What followed were talks between Maitland-Niles and Arteta, with a solution eventually found.

The midfielder would stay at the club and enjoyed still limited game-time, before he was allowed to leave in January.

Jose Mourinho's AS Roma took the 24-year-old on loan until the end of the season.

While he won the UEFA Conference League with the Italian side, he again struggled for game-time.

Maitland-Niles joined in January with Roma still in three competitions, but only managed to play around 650 minutes of football.

With just one year on his contract, Arsenal must find a solution for the player this summer, or will risk losing him for free.

Maitland-Niles is among a number of players who have left Arsenal this summer, both permanently and on loan.

Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Pablo Mari, Alex Runarsson and Nuno Tavares have all left the club in recent weeks.

As well as Maitland-Niles, Nicolas Pepe and Hector Bellerin are expected to join the departures list, with moves to OGC Nice and Real Betis, respectively, likely.

Arsenal will hope the clearing of their squad and wage bill will open the possibility of an incoming before the end of the window.