- Crystal Palace formerly enter race for Hayden Hackney
- Boro star’s preference is Everton
- How Hackney fits in at Palace
Crystal Palace are reportedly readying a £20 million bid for Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, as reported by Bobby Manzi.
Hackney has been on Palace’s radar for some time now, and the South London club are keen to bring him down to Selhurst Park to strengthen the squad ahead of the new campaign.
The Championship’s Player of the Season is valued at £25 million by Middlesbrough, and Everton have also seen two bids turned down.
As interest continues to grow, Palace will need to act fast if they’re to secure the services of one of the most in-demand players in the EFL.
READ: Latest Crystal Palace news and updates
FOLLOW: Read Crystal Palace on Facebook, Instagram and X
Hackney attracting heavy interest
Linked with a move away from Boro for some time now, the club’s failure to reach the Premier League when they lost the play-off final to Hull City has opened the door for the midfielder’s departure.
Hull have shown interest, but only Everton have actually bid for Hackney to date. An initial £12 million offer was increased to a £15 million package on Monday, which too was rejected, as Manzi reports.
The report also suggests that Hackney’s preference is a move to Everton, but with Palace entering the race and possessing the ace card of European football, they may be able to sway him towards a move to the capital.
With uncertainty around the futures of both Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton, as well as a lack of promise over a return to fitness for Cheick Doucouré, Hackney would be an astute addition to the Palace ranks.
Hackney a perfect addition for Palace
Operating primarily as a central midfielder, Hackney can also play further forward, offering flexibility for Palace’s incoming manager, likely Pierre Sage.
Hackney’s performances this season were recognised when he was awarded the Championship Player of the Season award.
With five goals and seven assists, Hackney has continued to develop and is now one of the stand-out names in the EFL.
He played an incredible 3,314 minutes in the Championship alone, which is almost as many as Adam Wharton played across all competitions last season.
Hackney makes 2.2 key passes per game, 5.4 recoveries, 1.8 tackles and has not made a single error leading to a goal all season.
His ball-carrying ability would match that of Kamada’s. Hackney is superb on the ball and has an eye for a goal. Not only did he score five goals in the regular Championship season, but his ability to strike the ball from range and find the net would add much-needed goal threat to the Palace midfield.
A box-crashing midfielder will be needed to replace Daichi Kamada’s output should he leave, and adding more goals from midfield would only strengthen Palace’s system.
