Middlesbrough told to look at Jobe Bellingham as £20m Hayden Hackney to Ipswich talk swirls | OneFootball

Ipswich already have plans to splash their cash on their pursuit of the 23-year-old.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Ipswich Town are reportedly preparing a bumper £20 million bid for Middlesbrough centre-midfielder Hayden Hackney.

The mega-offer from the Tractor Boys would not just be of huge financial benefit to Boro, as Alan Nixon detailed, it's also a move that would take care of the player's bank balance.

Ipswich would reportedly be willing to pay Hackney £35,000 per week in order to convince him to move to Portman Road, although the northeast-born lad is yet to be swayed by such offers and has his eyes on the Premier League, as per Nixon.

Middlesbrough told to seek Jobe Bellingham money for Hayden Hackney

This proposed transfer would not be the club's all-time highest sale, that came when Emmanuel Latte Lath joined MLS side Atlanta United for £22.5 million in January.

Football League World's Boro fan pundit, Liam Day, believes that they should be looking for a record fee for Hackney, 23, one that is similar to what Borussia Dortmund paid for Jobe Bellingham earlier in the window. Sunderland received an initial £27.8 million for the teenager.

"I personally feel £20 million is too little," said Day. "I feel like we should look at Jobe Bellingham's fee. Obviously, realistically, we're not going to get £30 million, [but] at least £25 million for me.

"The amount of clubs interested, we can easily bump up the price as well. I don't think Ipswich are too much of a threat personally. I don't see why he'd go to another Championship team.

"There are going to be bids from Premier League teams. I have no doubt of that. £35k per week is nice. You can get that in the Premier League, I'd probably guess. I'd be surprised if he didn't get something similar.

"You need to further his career and the Premier League is the move to do. Ipswich is definitely not a sideways move. They'll be up there, nearly guaranteed play-offs and probably going to get automatic [promotion]. But I feel like he's a Teessider. I feel like he wouldn't go to another championship team.

"He seems loyal. Everything I've seen says he's happy here. I don't think that will happen. I think he will go to a Premier League team, though. And I think that's the right move for him."

Middlesbrough would be right to demand Jobe Bellingham-esque money for Hayden Hackney

The age factor certainly played a role in the £27.8 million that Dortmund paid Sunderland for Bellingham, but there wasn't much of a difference in the 19-year-old's output last term and that of the Boro man, so you can understand why they'd want a similar fee for Hackney.

That is if they want to sell him. Rob Edwards has said that the midfielder is "fully committed" to remaining on Teesside, as Day alluded to, which would put pale to any chances of him leaving imminently. An offer of the nature of Bellingham's could tempt them to part ways with the 23-year-old, but not for anything less.