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Arsenal are ready to start talks with Ainsley Maitland-Niles about a new agreement at the club after deciding not to allow the defender to join the Wolves.
The Wolves were eager to sign the 23-year-old and the Gunners turned down an initial offer of £ 15 million last week.
Given Arsenal’s financial concerns, the club had originally decided that Maitland-Niles would be allowed to leave as they expected to recover up to £ 20 million for the London-born ace.
However, Sky Sports reports that Mikel Arteta has changed his mind and now wants to keep the defender at the Emirates.
Despite having three years left on his current contract, Arsenal are now willing to offer Maitland-Niles an extension in better conditions to reflect his progress over the past 12 months.
The defender was named Man of the Match after Arsenal’s Community Shield victory against Liverpool on Saturday and Arteta expressed his hidden happiness with his subsequent display.
“He has to be able to convince me every day in training that he can compete at this level. Not once every three months, but every three days, ” Arteta said.
“The way he’s playing right now is showing me that he can do it. His mentality and his way of dealing with every detail of preparing for a football game is much better than before.
“I am delighted and very happy for him because he is really changing a lot of things around him to become the player he can be.”
Such has been the pace of Maitland-Niles’ progression that the defender was called up for the England team last night.
The defender will meet his new international teammates on Monday before the games against Denmark and Iceland.
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