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Southampton have reportedly joined the race to try sign Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan for the rest of this season.

According to the Athletic, the £35,000-a-week Gunners player is attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

It is explained that West Brom have been “pushing hard” to try sign the 23-year-old on loan, but Southampton have now entered the hunt and made an approach.

The report states that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would prefer the player to join Southampton over West Brom, but there is also potential interest from another Premier League club in the top four.

Maitland-Niles is a man in-demand during the final days of the January window, which is no surprise given he’s a senior England international being linked with a loan move.

He’s a versatile star that has shown he can easily play as a left-back, right-back, winger or central midfielder at a high quality.

TBR’s View:

Maitland-Niles is a brilliant young player that wants to book a spot in the England squad for this summer’s European Championships, so is desperate to be playing regularly.

He’s highly-rated at Arsenal, but is perhaps a victim of his own versatility.

He’s played 21 games across all competitions this season, but the fact he’s started just five Premier League matches shows its own story.

An attractive Southampton side that play nice football would obvious seem more appealing than a West Brom team battling relegation in the top-flight.