Nottingham Forest make Premier League midfielder transfer priority with club 'ready to sell'

Nottingham Forest want to sign Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles and the Gunners are "ready to sell" him, according to reports.

Maitland-Niles has recently returned to England having spent the second half of last season at Roma in search of greater playing opportunities.

According to John Cross of The Mirror, Forest have made the 24-year-old a transfer priority this summer and have already made contact with Arsenal to enquire about his availability.

Maitland-Niles has one year left on his deal at the Emirates and Arsenal may be looking to move him on for a fee now rather than risk losing him next summer for nothing. He remains keen to play regularly which is something Forest would be able to offer following their promotion to the Premier League.

It could be a match made in heaven for Forest given boss Steve Cooper and Maitland-Niles have a relationship stretching back quite a few years. The 24-year-old has played for England at every level from under-17s up to the senior team, he was also a part of the under-20s World Cup winning squad from five years ago. Cooper knows of Maitland-Niles through his own involvement with the FA, including coaching England under-17s to the World Cup in 2017.

It could be quite a coup for Forest to sign Maitland-Niles. The 24-year-old was subject to strong interest from Everton last summer, whilst Southampton and Leicester City have also been keen followers. He is mostly a central midfielder but can also be deployed out-wide or as a full-back too.