Crystal Palace are reportedly planning a £27 million double transfer push for Middlesbrough pair Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg.
Boro are starting a new chapter under Rob Edwards’ management, who, with his feet already beneath the desk, will lead the club into their first summer transfer window with him in charge.
The former Luton Town manager takes over a club that struggled in the Championship last season but is loaded with excellent players and highly marketable assets.
Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg, two of Boro’s top players in both categories, have recently completed their Under-21 European Championship campaigns with England and the Netherlands, respectively.
Crystal Palace prepares £27 million attack for Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg
According to a report from The Sun on Monday morning, Crystal Palace is planning a double transfer raid for Middlesbrough’s Hackney and Van den Berg.
Hackney has long been admired by elite clubs, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United all reportedly interested in signing him in the past.
According to The Sun, the 23-year-old central midfielder is valued at £15 million, while Van den Berg is at £12 million.
Boro’s 20-year-old center defender, like Hackney, has been linked with some of Europe’s top teams, with the Teessiders reportedly beating out Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Juventus, and Ajax for his signature in the summer of 2023.
Crystal Palace appears to have been watching the Dutch youth international’s progress since his arrival at the Riverside Stadium, and a recent report from The Northern Echo claimed that they sent scouts to watch him at the aforementioned Under-21 European Championships.
Middlesbrough supporters will undoubtedly demand more than £27 million for Hackney and Van den Berg.
It remains to be seen how Middlesbrough’s hierarchy would react to such an approach if it came across their desk, but Boro fans will undoubtedly feel short-changed if two of their brightest and best young stars go for that amount of money.
Middlesbrough valued Hackney alone at £25 million during the most recent winter transfer window, and the recent £31 million sale of Jobe Bellingham from Sunderland to Dortmund will have many Teessiders looking to that transaction as a figure to push for when it comes to their academy graduate.
Both players have several years remaining on their contracts, with Hackney and Van den Berg bound until the summer of 2027.
| Hackney & Van den Berg’s Middlesbrough career stats (all comps) – per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Hayden Hackney | 113 | 10 | 9 |
| Rav van den Berg | 66 | 1 | 0 |
As a result, if they are sold this summer, they will not be cheap, with Edwards expecting both of them to play important roles in his future ambitions at the Riverside.
Boro’s finances have also been greatly boosted by the recent sale of Emmanuel Latte Lath for £22.5 million and the £5 million+ transaction that brought Josh Coburn to Millwall.
Therefore, if Hackney and Van den Berg are sold at the prices reported by The Sun, Middlesbrough fans will definitely, and perhaps justifiably, feel that their team has been short-changed by the Eagles.
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