Leeds United are fighting for Premier League survival this season.placeholder image
Leeds United are fighting for Premier League survival this season. | AFP via Getty Images
Leeds United may have identified a top target for next summer transfer window.
Leeds United are hoping to stay in the Premier League this season under Daniel Farke after winning the Championship title last term.
The Whites have been sat outside the bottom three for much of the campaign and have 12 matches remaining to survive the drop, with their buffer currently six points after the strong recent form of West Ham United. Wolves are all but relegated and Burnley would need a major upturn in order to survive, while two clubs with brand-new bosses at the helm – Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur – are also involved in the relegation picture at present.
If they survive this term, Leeds will then begin the process of looking to establish themselves as a regular top-flight club once again. It may take a large summer of spending in order to achieve this, but an early transfer target has already emerged - according to new reports.
Leeds target Hayden Hackney ahead of busy summer
According to a story from TEAMtalk, Leeds are interested in a swoop for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer – but they will face significant competition.
Hackney has been touted for a Premier League move for some time but rejected interest from the likes of Tottenham over the summer, due to his desire to earn promotion with his boyhood club Boro. They are currently top of the Championship and promotion could complicate a potential move, but strong interest remains.
Reporting relayed from journalist Alan Nixon states that Leeds ‘want to hire’ Hackney for next season and are planning a ‘massive’ bid, but the 23-year-old may cost at least £30 million. He has bagged four goals and six assists in 31 Championship games from defensive midfield this season and has substantial pedigree, as a member of Lee Carsley’s victorious Under-21 Euro winning squad last summer.
The Boro captain is currently tied down until 2027 and so this summer will prove a big one, either for a sale to take place or for the club to tie him down to a new deal. Leeds are not believed to be alone in admiring him, as Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton are also said to be in the race.
Hackney would be dream Leeds signing - but there will be competition
Hackney is thought of as a player with a huge future in the Premier League, and so Leeds would be smart to swoop for him early this summer before his stocks rise even further. Farke has solid midfield options to call upon such as Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu and Sean Longstaff, but may see Hackney as an upgrade and certainly as a younger age profile with the potential to develop further into a star.
There might be competition from Hackney’s former manager, Michael Carrick, though. Particularly if Carrick retains the Man United job beyond the end of the season, reports suggest that he would like to reunite with his former star man at Old Trafford amidst a midfield rebuild for the Red Devils.
Tottenham are also in need of more quality in the middle of the park and could make a transfer return for Hackney, while Everton are also believed to be in the race. This might be a difficult move for Leeds to pull off – but it might just change the trajectory of their summer if they can.
Continue Reading