Steve Gibson backed to snub £10m Everton offer for Hayden Hackney | OneFootball

The reported £10 million fee that Everton want to sign Hayden Hackney for has been dismissed by FLW's Middlesbrough Fan Pundit.

Middlesbrough are remaining in the Championship and the headline of the early part of their summer transfer window will be whether or not they can keep hold of Hayden Hackney.

Middlesbrough were sitting at the top of the Championship table as late as mid-February, before succumbing to a fifth place finish and a play-off campaign.

It was a dramatic and, frankly, bizarre play-off campaign that saw ‘Boro beaten by Southampton after extra-time in the second-leg of their semi-final before then being reinstated into the final as a result of Saints’ punishment for ‘spygate’.

In that final, though, The Smoggies were then beaten 1-0 by Hull City at Wembley Stadium with a last-gasp winning goal scored by Scotland international striker Oli McBurnie.

Now, as Kim Hellberg gears up for his first full season in charge of the club, the ‘Boro boss will be keen to ensure the future of Hackney is decided one way or another.

£10 million seems too low for Hayden Hackney

As the transfer window gets up and running and the summer business gets underway, the talk of Hayden Hackney moving away from the Riverside Stadium is intensifying.

The latest part of that talk is that Premier League outfit Everton hold an interest in the young English midfielder and believe they can get a deal done for just £10 million – which is a figure that has been dismissed by FLW’s ‘Boro Fan Pundit Liam Day.

Liam says: “There’s no way we only get £10 million for him even if has only got 12 months left on his contract.

“We’re still in control of the situation. Worst case scenario, he stays another year and sees out his contract but, say if we get promoted, that’s worth it isn’t it.

“I don’t see that happening unless they’re going to include a player in it because obviously, there are a few players that would do really well in the Championship so unless they are going to include a player in it, the minimum I think it would be is £15 million with some add-ons on top of that.

“There is no way £10 million. If they do expect to pay that then I’d be very surprised – especially with how tough a negotiator Steve Gibson can be – he’ll get as much as he possibly can and I will assure you it will definitely be more than £10 million.”

Hayden Hackney’s potential competition at Everton

Having been a stalwart for Middlesbrough in the last few seasons, the 2025 UEFA U21 European Championship winning midfielder has established himself as one of, if not the, best players in the second-tier.

Should he indeed complete a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium then he would be joining an Everton side that have an abundance of options in the middle of the park.

Experienced Senegal international midfielder Idrissa Gueye remains a key part of The Toffees’ squad, alongside Tim Iroegbunam and Harrison Armstrong.

The player perhaps most similar to Hackney is James Garner, who earned his first England call-up earlier this year and has thrived deep in the Evertonian midfield.

Hackney has been excellent for Middlesbrough but he will be keen to avoid his development being stifled at any stage and Garner’s form for the Merseysiders could prove to be something of a slight blockage to regular minutes in the role that he is best at as the metronomic tempo setter that can also burst forward.