"There is clearly already interest" - Transfer claim made on Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney | OneFootball

Our Boro fan pundit has forecasted more transfer interest in Hayden Hackney this summer

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...

Hayden Hackney is the Middlesbrough player who has been predicted to attract the most transfer attention this summer by our Boro fan pundit, following his strong form this season and interest from FC Porto in the January window.

Central midfielder Hackney has been a real success story so far for Boro, after he first joined their academy at under-10 level and worked his way up to the first-team to make his professional debut in 2021.

The 22-year-old has become one of the club's key players over the last few seasons since, as a deep-lying playmaker, and is understandably on the radar of some big clubs ahead of a potential move before next season.

Fan pundit predicts Hayden Hackney summer transfer interest

Hackney has registered five goals and two assists in 27 Championship games so far this term, while boss Michael Carrick has handed him the captain's armband on numerous occasions in the absence of Luke Ayling and Jonny Howson.

He is in contract at the Riverside Stadium until 2027, after he signed a long-term contract in 2023, but that has not stopped potential suitors trying to secure his services in recent times.

FC Porto registered their interest in signing Hackney last month, but Middlesbrough reportedly rejected two bids from the Portuguese giants late on in the winter window, with the second approach thought to be worth around £10m, which Boro were unwilling to sell him for.

Our Boro fan pundit, Jasper Hudson, believes that Hackney will be the player in Carrick's squad that attracts the most transfer attention in the summer, particularly if he keeps up his current form, but the situation could be different if they win promotion to the Premier League in May.

“I think Hayden Hackney will be the most notable name to attract interest this summer," Jasper told FLW.

“He obviously played that fantastic through ball against Sunderland, which was on TV and got a lot of online coverage, and Porto came in for him as well, so there is clearly already interest, and that’s just going to further if he continues to play well.

“It’s a good thing if top teams want him, and there is lots of interest. It shows you’ve got a good player.

“We’re not easily giving him up, or trying to settle for a fee. We’ve said we want to keep him, again I think that is because we are targeting promotion this year.

“Whether we’ll get it or not, time will tell. We certainly need to improve our performances.

“Hackney, on paper, looks to be the one that teams will be coming in for.

“He’s young, English, got plenty of game-time and first-team experience, so he is definitely the standout name in our team at the minute.”

Hackney has clear Boro aims despite recent transfer interest

Hackney has been a real bright spark on Teesside over the last few seasons, no more than this term, and it would surely be a huge honour for him to play a key role in leading his boyhood club back to the Premier League.

Carrick cannot say he doesn't have the right tools at his disposal now too, after a fruitful January saw them bring in some real quality players like Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Iling-Junior, so Boro's main aim has to be to finish in the top six and have a real go at promotion.

Hackney is more than playing his part, and despite his impressive efforts last time out against Sunderland eventually being in vain after a late 3-2 defeat, he remained very clear and open about his and his teammates' focus over the next few months.

"I try and help the team as much as possible. But the overall mood is disappointment. We let them back in. We have to be better in possession and more consistent over the course of the full 90 minutes," he told ITV Sport, via TeessideLive.

"Tonight we did that in the first half, really good combinations. But we lacked that in the second half as they grew into the game. The aim has to be to maintain our performance for a whole game.

"We need to be at the level we were for the first half over the whole 90. I think we’re more than good enough to be in the play-offs this season."

Those quotes do not have the feel of a player that wants to leave his boyhood club that he has represented for the last 12 years anytime soon, but money talks in football, and if he does continue to play at his current level while Boro remain in the second-tier, then it does feel inevitable that he will depart at some point.

The upside for Middlesbrough is that they do not need to rush into a sale, given their financial status and Hackney's contract situation, so if teams are to be interested in the summer window, they will have to cough up a sizeable fee to prise him from the Riverside Stadium.