Hayden Hackney to leave Middlesbrough? Steve Gibson must create 'bidding war' as Spurs, Man Utd lurk | OneFootball

Middlesbrough will believe they can create a bidding war for key man Hayden Hackney this summer.

It isn’t often you can say that a club lost in two rounds of the play-offs but that is what happened to Middlesbrough in what was a dramatic month for The Smoggies.

Following their play-off semi-final defeat to Southampton, Middlesbrough were reinstated into the play-offs due to the exclusion of Saints as a result of ‘spygate’.

Then, having raced around to sell out their allocation for the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, ‘Boro then succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Hull City as a result of a late Sol Brynn mistake providing Oli McBurnie with the winning goal.

That leaves Middlesbrough still in the Championship, immensely frustrated having also been at the top-of-the-table as late as mid-February.

That said, under the management of former Hammarby boss Kim Hellberg and now with a summer transfer window to get Hellberg a squad more suited to his style of football, the Teessiders will believe they are among the leading contenders to finish in the top two next season.

It is likely, though, to be something they try to achieve without key midfielder Hayden Hackney.

Hayden Hackney linked with a Premier League move

There had been a feeling throughout this campaign that the only way in which Middlesbrough would be able to keep Hayden Hackney this summer would be if they were a Premier League club.

Having previously been the subject of interest from the likes of Nottingham Forest, Everton and Fulham, ‘Boro’s key man has now been linked to Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

That set of clubs is something that pleases FLW’s ‘Boro Fan Pundit Liam Day because they are all of a calibre that should match the quality of Hackney, while also potentially helping Middlesbrough to drive up the price for the 23-year-old.

Hayden says: “I think all three are very good options. I’m quite glad with the clubs that he’s linked with.

“Obviously, Crystal Palace have just won a European trophy, Spurs look really good under (Roberto) De Zerbi and I think there is a whole in their midfield that he can step into and Man United – it’s Man United. They’ve not been as good recently but they are in the Champions League and Michael Carrick knows him, knows his ability and so all three of those clubs are really impressive.

“Personally, someone like Spurs because he would get more game time at United or Palace. Palace would be fine.

“He needs game time. You’ve seen young players move to the Premier League and not get the game time that is required.

“As long as he is getting played then I think that’s good. Obviously that calibre of club being linked is good for ‘Boro because we can get more money out of them, maybe start a bidding war. Man United are known for overpaying so hopefully we can try and make them do that.”

Hayden Hackney could have his pick in the Premier League

2025 UEFA U21 European Championship winner Hayden Hackney has been instrumental for Middlesbrough for some time and now the Redcar-born ace appears set to take the step up to the Premier League.

The three clubs he has most recently been linked with would all provide encouraging landing spots for the former Scunthorpe United loanee.

With Crystal Palace, albeit set to be under new management, he would be following in the footsteps of Adam Wharton with Selhurst Park proving to be an excellent place for young midfielders to develop, as well as other previous Championship stars such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise.

Their winning of the UEFA Europa Conference League would also present the opportunity for UEFA Europa League football next season – providing Hackney both a chance to play European football and likely more minutes with a bigger squad required for the South Londoners.

At Manchester United, his former ‘Boro boss Michael Carrick, whom really gave Hackney the platform to succeed at the Riverside Stadium, would be the man to again nurture his development.

As for Tottenham, there is a need for a rebuild this summer after back-to-back 17th placed finishes for the underperforming North Londoners and, with the progressive style of football set to now be implemented by De Zerbi this summer, Hackney would appear well suited.