Everton are now ready to cough up £20m to finally secure the signing of Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough.
The Toffees are wary of interest from Crystal Palace and are consequently set to make a third bid worth £20m for the Middlesbrough No.7 – having already failed with offers worth £12m and £15m.
That is according to Ben Jacobs for Give Me Sport – who provided further details which can be found below.
How would you feel about Hayden Hackney becoming Everton’s first signing? 🤩
Everton may still be £5m short of striking Hayden Hackney agreement
Jacobs claims that Middlesbrough are holding out for £25m to sell the 23-year-old.
That is a steep valuation for a player with only 12 months remaining on his contract, but considering The Athletic have already revealed that Boro are willing to keep Hackney and risk losing him for free next summer, that £25m figure has to be taken seriously by Everton.
There is a positive for the Toffees in the fact that Hackney wants a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium despite interest from Crystal Palace and Tottenham – the Eagles are expected to make a bid ‘in the coming days’ according to Jacobs.
The man born in Redcar – who has been compared to Declan Rice (via The 72) – excelled for Middlesbrough last season, scoring five goals and providing eight assists in 38 Championship appearances from central midfield.
Hackney will presumably walk straight into the starting XI under Moyes as a replacement for Idrissa Gueye – if an agreement with Middlesbrough does materialise.
The Senegal international is still yet to sign a new contract with his deal expiring at the end of June, and is currently away at the World Cup.
Gueye also turns 37 in November, so even if a new contract is agreed, Everton need a younger replacement anyway.
What would you do with Idrissa Gana Gueye this summer? 😬
He's got a one-year extension clause in his deal…
Be sure to keep an eye on this situation, as it could be third time lucky for Everton with this £20m bid.
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