New Middlesbrough, Hayden Hackney transfer twist comes to light as Leeds & Nottingham Forest lurk | OneFootball

Boro captain Hackney has been subject to rumours linking him with a move away, but his club want to extract the maximum value they can for him.

If Middlesbrough are not re-instated into the Championship play-offs in the coming days, then it's likely that Hayden Hackney has played his final game for the club.

With the "Spygate" drama rumbling on in the background, Boro haven't yet quite kissed goodbye to their hopes of playing Premier League football next season.

The EFL meet on Tuesday to decide what to do about the allegations that have been levelled against Boro's play-off semi-final opponents Southampton, and it remains the case that the Saints could be removed from the final against Hull City and replaced by Kim Hellberg's team. Boro feel that Southampton should be expelled from them.

The answer to the question of which division Middlesbrough are playing in next season will have ramifications on their players, and there have been few more important players for the club this season than midfielder and captain Hayden Hackney, who has been courted by Premier League clubs for a very long time.

But Boro are desperate to hold onto the talented young player, even if it now seems unlikely, and they may be about to take a big gamble to try and ensure that they extract maximum value from any sale.

Middlesbrough to hold out for £20 million+ for Hayden Hackney - and may even until January

Hackney is about to enter the last year of his contract at The Riverside Stadium but, reporting to his Patreon on Sunday morning, journalist Alan Nixon reports that the Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson remains intransigent about letting the midfielder leave for less than his market value.

It is reported that with Premier League clubs, including Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest circling, Gibson is preparing to hold out for a fee in excess of £20 million for Hackney in the summer transfer window, and that he will be sticking to the valuation even if it means holding out until the January 2027 transfer window, at which point Hackney's market value will start to plummet.

And next January, if Hackney is somehow still at the Riverside Stadium and on the same contract, he can talk to non-English clubs regarding a pre-contract agreement, which would not be in Boro's best interests whatsoever.

Nixon also confirms the interest of Leeds United and Crystal Palace in acquiring Hackney's services for next season, and adds that Nottingham Forest could also be in the market for him should they lose their highly-rated young midfielder Elliot Anderson during the summer.

Hackney's future is as unclear as Middlesbrough's, with the play-off Spygate drama reaching a crescendo

Speculation concerning Hayden Hackney's future at The Riverside Stadium will inevitably get caught up in the "Spygate" drama which has gripped the football world at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Born in nearby Redcar, the likelihood of the midfielder leaving the club will diminish should the team at which he started his professional career end up in the Premier League next season after all.

But with Hackney having just a year left on his contract with Middlesbrough, holding onto the player will become more of a financial gamble for Steve Gibson should Southampton or Hull end up in next season's Premier League.

Player transfer values always decrease in the last year of their contracts, and if Boro are unable to get into the Premier League under their own volition, there will come a point at which Hackney will have to move on if he's to move his career up to the next level.

But Steve Gibson is a canny operator. He's the longest-serving chairman in the entire EFL and knows this league inside-out.

As such, Middlesbrough fans can have faith that he'll be doing the best for their club, whether it means cashing in and offloading the player when the time is right or hanging onto him. As a club who aren't in receipt of Premier League parachute payments, a £20 million windfall would be very welcome to the club.

But it's also clear that Steve Gibson knows and uinderstands the value of his players, and is prepared to take a bit of gamble to try and get the right price for the player, even if they're not able to get into the Premier League at the end of this season.

In terms of keeping Hackney at The Riverside Stadium this summer, his job would be made considerably easier were he able to offer his star midfielder Premier League football next season. But for the time being, that matter remains up in the air, and consequently Hackney's immediate future does as well.