Everton are in pole position to sign Middlesbrough’s top midfielder Hayden Hackney after making significant progress in talks with the player, amid serious competition from across the Premier League.
A deal is not yet finalised, but the Toffees are working hard to win the race for Hackney amid rival interest from as many as seven other top-flight sides.
TEAMtalk first reported Everton’s interest in Hackney in December last year, and on April 20, we further revealed that the club had emerged as leading contenders to sign him this summer.
As we stated, Everton’s recruitment team are huge admirers of the 23-year-old, who was named the Championship Player of the Season after a standout campaign with Boro that saw them reach the play-off final.
Hackney, a versatile, high-energy midfielder, notched six goals and eight assists in 41 league appearances for Boro last term. He has also been a regular in England’s youth set-up, having made 13 appearances for the Three Lions’ under-23 side.
TEAMtalk understands that after receiving encouragement from Hackney, Everton are now set to ramp up talks with Middlesbrough.
Sources indicate that a fee in the region of £20million, plus a further £5million in add-ons, could be enough to sign Hackney, who has just one year remaining on his Boro contract.
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Everton leading eight-club race for Hayden Hackney
We understand that Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, Brentford and Fulham are also interested in Hackney but are not behind Everton in the race.
Tottenham and Manchester United are also admirers of the midfielder. However, Hackney wants guarantees of consistent playing time at his next club, and has concerns whether he would get that with Spurs or the Red Devils.
Hackney has seen the progression made by former Championship standout James Garner at Everton, and believes he could have similar success with the at the club.
The transfer is done yet, so late twists cannot be ruled out, but Everton are working hard to finalise a deal.
Hackney’s potential arrival also raises questions over the future of Idrissa Gana Gueye at Everton.
The 36-year-old is a hugely important member of David Moyes’ squad but it remains to be seen whether he will stay at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
As reported by The Athletic, Gueye has not had not made the required number of starts (28) to trigger a mandatory 12-month extension on his contract, with his current deal expiring at the end of this month.
Everton are expected to hold further talks with Gueye to resolve his future.
Midfielder Merlin Rohl, meanwhile*,* will join Everton permanently in a £17million deal. Everton’s avoiding of relegation triggered a mandatory purchase option in their loan agreement with Freiburg.
With additional reporting from TEAMtalk correspondent Graeme Bailey.
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