Everton’s pursuit of Hayden Hackney has been somewhat frustrating so far, but the Toffees may now have something up their sleeve to bring a deal to fruition.
The Toffees have long admired Hackney, and have already seen two bids knocked back for him.
Middlesbrough are understood to be holding out for a package worth about £25 million.
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That’s a lot to pay for someone with just one year left on their contract. But it has to be said, Hackney was outstanding last season and has many clubs on his tail.
But Everton’s interest is still said to be the most advanced.
At the moment the two clubs are quite far apart in terms of striking a deal, but a very interesting claim has been made today involving a player Everton could use as makeweight.
Middlesbrough like Harrison Armstrong as Everton chase Hackney
TEAMtalk have reported about the Hackney situation, and they say Everton and Boro aren’t currently anywhere close to an agreement.
Boro are sticking to their £25 million asking price, with Everton seeking to pay less.
But the Toffees are confident a deal will be struck, as they know the player is keen on a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium ‘and views the project under the club’s new ownership structure as an attractive next step in his career’.
TEAMtalk make a rather interesting claim, which is that Boro actually admire Everton’s Harrison Armstrong.
Armstrong had a loan spell with Preston North End in the first half of last season before returning to Everton in January to provide cover.
After a good run of games, he spent a lot of time on the bench in the last couple of months of the season.
TEAMtalk say that Armstrong ‘has been discussed internally as a player the club would welcome, potentially as part of a wider arrangement’.
But whether Everton will be receptive to Armstrong being included in a deal for Hackney remains to be seen. The club rate him very highly and are reluctant to sell.
The notion of Armstrong leaving on loan next season has also previously been played down.
Everton can’t dither over Hackney
It’s also stated that Hackney has interest from other Premier League clubs, should nothing happen with Everton.
Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Fulham would all be ‘prepared to act’, and this really ought to make Everton get a move on, before they risk missing out.
It would not be good optics if Everton don’t sign Hackney given he wants the move and likes the project.
Perhaps Armstrong could be key in helping to bring a deal to fruition.
But given his potential, it’s understandable Everton might be unwilling to use him in a deal. Certainly though, Everton could do with making some progress soon with Hackney so coveted.
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