Jose Mourinho's decision on Ainsley Maitland-Niles is set to cost Arsenal millions in transfer windfall this summer, according to recent reports.
The Hale End academy graduate joined Mourinho's AS Roma on loan until the end of the current campaign, with an option to buy reportedly set at around £8-£12million.
However, Italian outlet Calciomercato have reported that the Italian side are unlikely to take up that option this summer after he failed to impress the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss since making the switch from the Emirates Stadium.
That will come as a blow to the Gunners, who appear keen to offload Maitland-Niles, with the England international clearly not in Mikel Arteta's long-term plans.
In fact, Arteta admitted last month that the player himself claimed a move away from north London would be the best thing for his career.
Speaking back in January, the Spaniard said: "Ainsley came to me and explained the reasons why he thought that the best thing for him in his career right now is to move away.
"He believes that the opportunity to move to Rome and working under Jose is a really good one.
"We already had this conversation in the summer and we decided to keep him at the club and assess the situation in December, but with the amount of minutes that he has played, he’s entitled to that opportunity.
"When a player feels that way and has a strong argument like he has, it’s very difficult to turn it away, so we decided to let him go and we wish him all the best."
