"Around £20m" - Pundit reacts as Spurs eye Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer has given his view on whether Middlesbrough should sell midfielder Hayden Hackney amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

Pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Middlesbrough should not cash in on midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer amid reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

After progressing through the Boro academy, Hackney has become an integral part of the first team since making his breakthrough in the 2022-23 season, with the highlight of his time at the club coming when he scored the winner in the 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in January.

The 22-year-old's impressive performances at club level earned him a first call-up to the England Under-21 squad last September, and it seems that he is attracting attention from elsewhere, with TBR Football's Graeme Bailey claiming that scouts from Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have been present to watch him in action in the first two games of the season.

It remains to be seen whether Spurs will make a bid for Hackney, but Boro will be reluctant to lose him, and head of football Kieran Scott has previously stated that the club will take a firm stance when it comes to selling players this summer.

"It's vital (keeping players). I don't mind saying that. I can't control what other clubs may do or may not do but, from our position, we don't want to lose anyone," Scott told Teesside Live in June.

"The only chance we're going to have of going up this season is keeping our best players. I speak to Steve [Gibson] regularly and he's as strong and fiery on this as I've ever heard him in terms of us keeping our players here.

Palmer: Middlesbrough must not sell Hayden Hackney

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that despite strengthening their midfield with the signing of Aidan Morris, Boro should not cash in on Hackney this summer unless they receive a sizeable offer.

"Tottenham have been in the stands for Middlesbrough's opening two games running the rule over Hayden Hackney," Palmer said.

"There's a lot of interest in Hackney.

"He's playing regularly for Middlesbrough, and it would be a huge blow to their chances of getting in the play-offs this season or better if they were to lose him.

"But we know how it works, they're in that position where they have to sell players to bring in money. "Maybe a deal will be done for Hackney and he could return to the club on loan for the rest of the season because it's highly unlikely that he would move to Spurs and be playing regular football. "Under Postecoglou, it looks like Spurs are going down a different route, they've already signed Archie Gray from Leeds United, who has got a hell of a future in front of him, so it looks like they're going for young players to build the club for the future, which I think is the right route. "But Michael Carrick will be very, very disappointed to lose Hackney, who has already got five England Under-21 caps, he will want the window to shut and still have him at the club. "Without a shadow of a doubt, if they lose him, Middlesbrough's chances of doing well this season will sadly diminish, but we'll have to wait and see if a big offer comes in. "I believe that Middlesbrough should hold onto him, I know they have signed Aidan Morris, but they should still hang on to him, unless they get a really ridiculous offer. "Sometimes you can't hold a player back when an opportunity comes for him to go and play at the highest level, you just can't do that, you've got to give the kid the opportunity. "But like I said, they would have to come with a massive offer, I think they would want around £20m with a very big sell-on fee for him. "We'll have to wait and see where this eventually ends up, but I think Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick should keep hold of him for at least one more season.

"If they don't get promoted, I think it will be highly likely that he will be moving on."

Aidan Morris arrival should not change Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney stance

It is difficult to disagree with Palmer that Boro should hold onto Hackney this summer.

While they have signed Morris, Jonny Howson has been injured in the early weeks of the season, and Dan Barlaser has fallen out of favour in recent months, so Michael Carrick's central midfield options would be stretched if he was to depart.

Scott has made it clear that Boro are determined to retain their key players this summer in order to mount a promotion push, and they are unlikely to change their stance on Hackney at this late stage of the transfer window, with little time left to find a replacement if he was to depart.

It has been a strong summer for Boro, and they must do everything possible to ensure that Hackney remains at the Riverside Stadium beyond next week's deadline.