How much Ipswich Town were paying to sign Hayden Hackney - Everton are pouncing now | OneFootball

Hayden Hackney has been linked with a January move to Everton

Ipswich Town were linked with a deal to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough during the summer transfer window.

The Tractor Boys spent the off-season preparing for life back in the Championship after coming 19th in the Premier League.

Kieran McKenna’s side were disappointed to suffer relegation in their first year back in the top flight, and had to spend the transfer market looking to build a team capable of earning promotion from the second tier again.

The Suffolk outfit signed the likes of Sindre Walle Egeli, Kasey McAteer and Azor Matusiwa, among others, but were unable to agree terms with Hackney in order to bring him to Portman Road.

It is now being reported by Teamtalk that Everton are among the clubs eyeing the midfielder ahead of the January transfer window.

Here we look at how much Ipswich agreed to pay Middlesbrough to sign the 23-year-old before he turned down the switch from the Riverside…

Ipswich Town’s Hayden Hackney transfer agreement

Ipswich looked to strengthen their midfield options during the summer, which led to speculation of a move for the Middlesbrough star.

It was reported by The Northern Echo that a £20 million agreement was reached between the two Championship sides in July.

However, it was claimed by Teesside Live that the midfielder turned down the move, instead opting to remain with Boro for this campaign.

Hackney’s preference was believed to be to sign for a Premier League club, if he were to leave the Teesside outfit.

The former England U21 international has enjoyed a strong first half of the season at the Riverside, excelling under both Rob Edwards and Kim Hellberg.

And now it remains to be seen what the future holds for Hackney as the winter market approaches.

Everton are competing in the top half of the top flight table under David Moyes, but Middlesbrough’s own promotion ambitions may yet convince him to see out the full term in the second division.

Hackney has a contract with Middlesbrough until the summer of 2027, meaning he is entering the final 18 months of his current agreement.

Hayden Hackney’s Premier League ambitions

Hackney will be encouraged by Middlesbrough’s first half of the campaign, with the club firmly in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

The midfielder has never competed in the top flight, but could stand a very good chance of doing so if he remains at the Riverside through to the summer.

However, if Everton make an approach in January, then that would also offer him a straightforward route to division.

But it remains to be seen whether the £20 million mark will be enough to convince Middlesbrough to cash in on this occasion.

The Teesside outfit have sold the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath and Morgan Rogers in recent winter markets, indicating an openness to do business midway through the season.

Yet those sales ultimately hurt the team in their respective campaigns, which could lead to a reluctance from Middlesbrough to cash in on such a key player, particularly given their position in the Championship table this time around.