Report: Newcastle interested in Joe Willock loan, have also enquired about Maitland-Niles

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Newcastle United have reportedly tabled their interest in singing Joe Willock on loan form Arsenal.

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are pushing to convince the 21-year-old to join them before tomorrow’s transfer deadline.

Willock is currently on the fringes for the Gunners, and has made just 16 appearances in 2020/21.

Most of those have been as a substitute – especially in the Premier League – and an exit for the youngster in the next 24 hours or so seems a reasonable possibility.

The Daily Mail’s report also adds that Newcastle have enquired about Willock’s Gunners teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

The 23-year-old is also finding starts hard to come by, with Mikel Arteta preferring Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares at right-back, and Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Dani Ceballos in midfield.

Arsenal have just landed Martin Odegaard on loan from Real Madrid, meaning Newcastle’s luck could well be in over £20,000-a-week star Willock (Spotrac) or three-cap England international Maitland-Niles.

Maitland-Niles should be the target

Newcastle should definitely be looking to snap up Maitland-Niles, although Willock would also be a decent addition.

But the versatility of Maitland-Niles could be invaluable, and he has already proven he is Premier League quality.

Newcastle’s midfield has left a lot to be desired this season and bringing Maitland-Niles into the fold could really reinvigorate it.