Crystal Palace are set to make a £20m bid for Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney.
The Daily Mail believe the Eagles are ready to spark a bidding war with Everton for the England U21 international, who has already been the subject of £12m and £15m offers from the Toffees.
As Crystal Palace and Everton fight over Hackney, let’s take a look at what the Middlesbrough No.7 could bring to Selhurst Park.
Who is your DREAM signing? ⭐️
Crystal Palace chasing “very fast learner” in Hayden Hackney
Firstly, in terms of his character, Hackney seems like he would fit in well in SE25.
Michael Carrick, who the Crystal Palace target made 104 appearances under – more than he has for any other coach – spoke glowingly about the central midfielder while at the Riverside Stadium, saying: “He’s a talented lad and more importantly he is so down to earth and humble.
“He’s willing to listen and he’s a very fast learner, so anything you tell him he takes on board straight away. He’s really composed on the ball, always there and always offering for the ball, always wants the ball. When he does get it he’s positive.”
The statistics back that up.
Opta claim that Hackney made 848 successful passes into the final third across 38 Championship appearances last season, more than any other player. The man born in Redcar also created 83 chances, the second-most in the division.
The 23-year-old also completed 54 successful dribbles, the eighth-most in the Championship. That speaks volumes considering his game is more focused around passing the ball into dangerous areas.
Furthermore, the Crystal Palace target is very effective at winning the ball back high up the pitch, making a tackle in the final third 33 times last season. Only three players managed to do so more regularly.
| Statistic | Amount | Championship rank | Championship midfielder rank |
| Goals | 5 | Joint 75th | Joint 20th |
| Assists | 7 | Joint 15th | Joint 9th |
| Total shots | 98 | Joint 6th | 3rd |
| Dribbles completed | 54 | 8th | 3rd |
| Chances created | 83 | Joint 2nd | 2nd |
| Successful passes | 2103 | 10th | 4th |
| Successful passes into final third | 848 | 1st | 1st |
| Expected assists | 8.59 | 6th | 3rd |
| Possession won in final third | 33 | Joint 4th | 3rd |
As a result of his efforts last season, Middlesbrough want £25m for Hackney – who was named Championship Player of the Season for the 2025/26 campaign.
That is quite a substantial request for a player who only has 12 months remaining on his contract, although with Everton – and also Tottenham – keen to secure his signature, a bidding war could well take the fee close to that amount, if not higher.
Who should we be looking to keep around? 📝
As things stand, Crystal Palace – who are likely to hire Pierre Sage – can probably find a better way to spend £25m this summer, although this deal will become more of a necessity if Daichi Kamada, Jefferson Lerma and Adam Wharton were all to depart.
