Fulham exclusive: Former Arsenal man firmly on Marco Silva radar as Prem return takes shape
Fulham are eyeing a move to bring former Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles back to the Premier League, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Maitland-Niles left Arsenal last summer upon the expiry of his contract to join French giants Lyon on a free transfer.
The 26-year-old impressed in his debut season with Lyon, making 29 appearances in all competitions and contributing two goals and four assists.
Maitland-Niles performed in a variety of roles for Lyon with the utility player starring at right-back and also across the whole of midfield.
Fulham boss Marco Silva is keen to strengthen his squad ahead of next season and he sees Maitland-Niles’ versatility as addition to his plans.
Maitland-Niles considering London return
Maitland-Niles, who has won five caps for England, could be interested in a move back to the Premier League and a return to his native London with Fulham.
The Cottagers will return to pre-season training in July and will kick-off the 2024/25 Premier League campaign with a trip to Manchester United on Friday August 16.
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All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window
The summer transfer window is underway and all eyes are on what business is being done by Premier League clubs, so here are all the done deals they’ve arranged so far.
Premier League clubs spent record amounts last summer, but January saw a dramatic reduction in the money they were investing into transfers. Things are expected to pick up again this summer, though, as clubs try to end Manchester City’s dominance but the four-times-in-a-row champions aim to stay ahead of the pack.
Several clubs – such as Liverpool and Chelsea – have new managers in place, which means they will be working to adjust their squads to suit their new leaders.
And Manchester United have kept their manager in charge but have a whole new structure of decision makers behind the scenes, so they’ll be an interesting club to keep an eye on too.
Elsewhere, how will the three promoted clubs strengthen? How will Aston Villa upgrade for a Champions League campaign? What do Arsenal need to do to go from runners-up to champions?
The 2024 summer transfer window is open until August 30, when it will close at 11pm BST.
Here, TEAMtalk lists every major signing, sale and loan made by the 20 Premier League clubs this summer at first-team level.
