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Everton are now favourites to sign Middlesbrough’s highly-rated central midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer. Reports suggest the 23-year-old favours a switch to Merseyside.
A fee of around £15m has been mooted, with the former England U-21 star out of contract next summer.
Hackney has impressed in recent seasons
The 23-year-old midfielder has caught the eye in the Championship in recent seasons. Last season, Hackney won the Championship Player of the Year award for his displays in the centre of the park for Boro.
The fact that Hackney scored six goals and produced seven assists across all competitions was a major factor in his winning the award.
Apart from his attacking contributions, Hackney’s general all-around midfield play was impressive, and helped Boro make it to the Championship play-offs.
With the north east club failing to secure promotion to the Premier League, Hackney is believed to see this as the right time to leave the club.
Everton are looking to rebuild their squad
This summer will be a big one for Everton, as their squad was very thin last season and was propped up by loan signings.
The Toffees have reportedly made signing a new central midfielder a priority. Veteran Ivory Coast star Idrissa ‘Gana’ Gueye is out of contract this summer, so could leave as a free agent.
Even if Gueye signs a contract extension, the Ivorian turns 37 in September, so the club have to start looking for a replacement.
However, Hackney is a different sort of player from the former PSG player, so they may also be looking to bring in a more defensive-minded central midfielder.
Everton face competition for Hackney this summer
If Hackney is available for £15m, then many clubs will see him as a bargain buy this summer. Everton will have competition for the midfielder’s signature.
Brighton, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Leeds and managerless Crystal Palace were all monitoring the midfielder’s performances last season.
Former Middlesbrough head coach, Michael Carrick, is also believed to be interested in taking Hackney to Manchester United.
The Toffees will have to move quickly to sign Hackney, or they may well lose out on what could be one of the bargains of the summer transfer window.
However, reports suggest that Hackney has already spoken to high-ranking Everton officials, and that the midfielder favours a switch to the Merseyside club over the other interested parties.