Newcastle United are closing in on the loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock in a move which could potentially impact the chances of Southampton bringing in Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook on Twitter.
#NUFC on the brink of signing Joe Willock on loan from #AFC could have an impact on #SaintsFC pursuit of Maitland-Niles #DeadlineDay
— Alex Crook ⚽️🎙 (@alex_crook) February 1, 2021
The Saints have been interested in making a late move to secure the signing of Maitland-Niles, with Arsenal reportedly willing to allow him to leave on loan. The Gunners reportedly prefer Southampton as his destination amid interest from Leicester City, and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are also trashing out the prospect of an option to buy in the deal.
Newcastle are also in the market for late loan deals and they are reportedly closing in on the signing of Willock. The move for the Arsenal midfielder is looking increasingly likely to go ahead before the window closes, although the only potential stumbling block could be whether he wants to leave north London for St James’ Park, as per The Telegraph.
It has now been reported by Crook that Newcastle’s move for Willock might have implications for Southampton’s chances of landing Maitland-Niles. That would be a major blow for the Saints, who will be hoping that they are still able to get this deal over the line.
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This could be a concern for the Saints, who are at risk of missing out on the signing of Maitland-Niles if Willock joins Newcastle. They will hope that Arsenal will still feel they have enough squad depth to loan out both players before the window closes.
It will be interesting to see how much impact Willock’s potential Newcastle move does have on Southampton’s own hopes of a deadline day raid on the Emirates Stadium.
