Football
Exclusive: Fulham Confident of Winning Race for Middlesbrough Midfielder Hackney
Fulham are leading the race to sign Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, valued at around £10-15m. The 23-year-old, a former England Under-21 international, is tempted by a move to Craven Cottage. Boro are willing to sell, with Fulham confident they can develop him into a future star.
Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion - Sky Bet Championship by George Wood | Getty Images
Fulham believe they have a head start in the battle to sign highly-rated Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Our sources have learnt the Cottagers have already reached out to Hackney’s representatives about striking a deal which could see the 23-year-old move to Craven Cottage.
Premier League rivals West Ham and Everton have also been linked with the player, but it is understood Hackney is tempted by the possibility of a move to West London.
The former England Under-21 international is now in his fifth season with Boro in the Championship, having spent one of those seasons out on loan at League Two Scunthorpe United for experience.
Last season he was a mainstay of Boro’s first team and played 43 games in the second tier, the most of his promising career to date.
And the Cottagers have no doubts they can mould Hackney into an even better player and a real star for the future.
A £10million price tag has been muted, although our sources have learnt Boro are pushing for upward of £15m for the player’s services.
Hackney, who hails from seaside town Redcar, in Teeside, is a product of the Boro academy system and has known little else since graduating through the ranks into the senior team.
He represented his country at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia, a competition which Hackney and England famously won.
GROWING PROFILE
As a result, Hackney and a number of his teammates saw their profile grow as a string of clubs paid more attention to their talents.
He is two years left on his current deal, but it is believed Boro would be willing to sell their young star providing the price was right.
A summer switch to Ipswich Town had been rumoured before the most recent transfer window shut, but no deal materialised.
To his credit, Hackney has kept his head down and played in all of Boro’s games so far this season, scoring in a 3-0 win over Millwall with the Teeside outfit.
Boro are currently flying high at the top of the Championship after five wins and three draws, with Hackney having been a driving force in that impressive early unbeaten run.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.