Everton agree deal to sign 2nd former Arsenal player

Everton have agreed a deal with Lyon to sign former Arsenal player Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with the Merseyside club set to pay £4.2 million for the 29-year-old.

Sky Sports News, via Get French Football News, reports that the two clubs have reached an agreement.

Maitland-Niles is entering the final year of his contract with Lyon, having joined the French club permanently in 2023 after leaving Arsenal.

The former England international came through Arsenal’s academy and went on to make 132 senior appearances for the club before bringing his long association with north London to an end.

Eager to nail down a midfield role, since moving to France he has continued to be used in several positions, including midfield and full-back.

This season, Maitland-Niles has made four Champions League qualifying appearances for Lyon, registering an assist in the second leg against Fenerbahce, setting up Malick Fofana in a 2-1 defeat.

Fofana looks set to sign for Sunderland after being briefly linked with Arsenal on Monday, however, at the time of writing, Crystal Palace are trying to hijack the deal.

Everton have also agreed a deal for another former Arsenal player, Folarin Balogun, with Arsenal set to benefit from a sell-on clause attached to that transfer.