Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney is the center of attention for various clubs.
Rob Edwards could have a battle to keep star midfielder Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough this summer, with teams reportedly lining up to sign the England Under-21 player.
Hackney’s future on Teesside has been hotly debated since Boro missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season, with a number of top-flight clubs rumored to be interested.
Boro want to keep him at the Riverside, of course, but a price in excess of £20 million could be sufficient to seal the sale. He is presently with the group in Portugal following his performance for England in this summer’s U21 EUROs.
Five Premier League clubs, including Tottenham and Manchester United, have already been associated with Hackney, with Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham also expressing interest.
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is rumored to be interested in bringing him to Bayer Leverkusen, while Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt have also been mentioned.
However, rumors now indicate that Everton is considering a proposal as David Moyes attempts to rebuild his midfield for the next season. The Toffees lost Abdoulaye Doucoure when his contract expired last month, and Orel Mangale returned to home club Lyon after a loan stay.
Edwards has been understandably coy about the possibility of losing crucial players like Hackney and Rav van den Berg, but he insists the team will handle any departures positively.
“Of course we want to keep our best players, but what I would say is that there’s always a plan,” the new Boro manager remarked.
“It would have to be a choice made by the people above, but if we thought it was the appropriate option for someone to go, I don’t think it should be interpreted as a concern or a negative. We need to see that as an opportunity to improve.”
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