Crystal Palace set to gazump Everton in bid for Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney | OneFootball

The 23-year-old is expected to leave the Riverside Stadium this summer.

It feels inevitable that Middlesbrough will lose their talisman Hayden Hackney to a Premier League club this summer, but the big question is - where will he go?

The midfielder enjoyed the campaign of his life at the Riverside Stadium and was named in the Championship Team of the Season as a result of his exploits, although he missed the final stages of it due to injury and only returned for the play-off final that Boro were re-instated into.

Despite an encouraging showing, Boro missed out on promotion to the top flight after they were defeated in the play-off final by Hull City, courtesy of a stoppage-time Oli McBurnie goal.

After falling short, Hackney is expected to leave Teesside, and while Everton have been trying to land the 23-year-old, Crystal Palace have nowmade their move.

Crystal Palace expected to offer package for Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney

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Hackney is one of Middlesbrough's success stories, having risen through the academy ranks to become the club's most prized asset.

The midfielder has made 154 appearances for his boyhood club, and his five league goals and eight assists this term are the best numbers of his career for a single season.

Not only that, but the 23-year-old is poised for a bright international future, having already received 13 caps at England under-21 level.

Given his ability and potential, it is unsurprising that Hackney has been heavily linked with a Premier League move this summer, and now Boro are braced for another approach.

Crystal Palace are expected to offer a package close to £20million for the Englishman, but that is short of the Teesside club's £25m valuation, according to the Daily Mail.

It is still bigger than the offers that have arrived from Merseyside for his services this summer, with Everton, who had been reported as his preferred destination, having already had two approaches knocked back - the first being an initial £12m proposal, followed by an increase to a £15m package.

The publication also claims that newly promoted Hull also hold an interest, although that is not expected to go any further than their initial interest, with the newly-promoted side actually needing to sell players first before the end of June to avoid sanctions.

Could Middlesbrough budge on £25m valuation for Hayden Hackney?

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With Palace set to edge closer to Middlesbrough's valuation of Hackney, the club will soon have a decision to make on the midfielder.

While £20m would be a decent fee to receive for a Championship player, it still falls £5m short of their valuation, and that feels like too big a difference.

Something that the Teesside club have on their side is time, as the transfer window has not even opened yet and already there have been reports of several bids for the player.

With that in mind, Middlesbrough would be wise to bide their time and see if Everton or another club, for that matter, is willing to bid closer to their valuation for Hackney.

The fact that the 23-year-old only has a year left on his contract is likely one of the reasons why Premier League sides are unwilling to pay £25m for Hackney's services, and the closer we get to deadline day without a deal developing could raise a few concerns.

When looking at previous deals as a benchmark, James Maddison moved from Norwich City to Leicester City for a total package worth £24million, while Jude Bellingham swapped Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund for an initial £25m.

Of course, there is no knowing what heights Hackney will reach in his career, but something between £20m-£25m feels like a fair price for a player with a promising future ahead.