(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Everton saw two offers for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney rejected earlier this summer, with public progress on a potential deal almost non-existent in recent weeks.
Hackney, we were told, wanted Everton despite interest from Premier League rivals, though the Toffees have been unable to close a deal. Everton’s offers are believed to have been around £12m and £15m for the 24-year-old, who was named as the Championship’s Player of the Season for 2025/26.
He scored five league goals and added seven assists, while leading all Championship midfielders for progressive carries.
Middlesbrough’s poor run-in coincided with Hackney’s absence through injury, as the North East side fell out of automatic promotion contention, before losing the play-off final to Hull City. The club are now reluctantly ready to sanction the academy product’s sale, with Hackney having only 12 months to run on his current contract.
Boro are understood to be holding out for a fee in excess of £20million, with Crystal Palace also pursuing the player. Journalist Alan Nixon has now provided an update on the summer saga, and it appears a positive one for Evertonians.
Nixon claims Everton are ready to ‘go close’ to a £20million fee in a bid to get a deal done, a figure Palace are not prepared to match.
However, the Eagles are instead ready to offer 21-year-old midfielder David Ozoh as a sweetener in any deal. Ozoh has spent the last two seasons on loan in the Championship at Derby County, where he has made 47 appearances.
