Ipswich Town warned of Hayden Hackney "circus" as Middlesbrough saga continues | OneFootball

FLW's Ipswich fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's potential pursuit of ex-transfer target Hayden Hackney

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 planning to reignite their interest in Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney before the 1 September transfer deadline.

It has been exclusively revealed by FLW that Kieran McKenna is pushing to bring the 23-year-old to Portman Road.

It was reported earlier this summer that Hackney turned down a move to the Suffolk outfit after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.

The midfielder has featured in both of Boro’s opening two league games this season, and has a contract with the Teesside outfit until the summer of 2027.

Ipswich warned of Hayden Hackney worry

When asked about the reignited interest in Hackney, FLW’s Ipswich fan pundit Adam Wilkin claimed that it is a deal worth doing if they can get it over the line.

However, he’s warned that it’s all become a bit of a circus now, and is concerned that a similar situation to last time could happen if they do push to sign Hackney before the market shuts again.

“It’s clear Hayden Hackney is our number one target, but it is becoming a bit of a circus at the moment,” Wilkin told Football League World.

“Understandably, he was holding out for a Premier League, so it felt a lot of the time when the fee was agreed and everything else seemed to be agreed, that his agent was almost then convincing him that he should hold out for a better move, even when no Premier League clubs had an offer on the table.

“It seemed Middlesbrough were planning a bunch of transfers to spend the money that they would’ve got for Hackney as well, so it was all a bit of a farce at the time.

“I worry that something like that could happen again.

“But he’s clearly our number midfield target and the one that we’re after.

“We’ve been loosely linked with a few others, like [Josh] Brownhill, but I don’t think those are players that I’d rather have at Portman Road than Hackney.

“So, if he’s good enough, which he clearly is, then he’s definitely worth pursuing, no matter how much energy it takes.

“And it’s not like he’ll be pursued without Mark Ashton having other irons in the fire.”

Next up for Ipswich is a trip to face Preston North End on 23 August in a 3pm kick-off.

Assurances are needed to reignite Hayden Hackney pursuit

If Ipswich are going to go back in for Hackney, then they must receive some assurances that it is worth their time.

They already know that Middlesbrough are willing to sell, and they will surely still be open for business.

However, the price may increase given how little time is now remaining in the window, as it will leave the Teesside outfit with less time to find a replacement for the midfielder.

Hackney clearly has his sights set on Premier League football, but it will now be up to McKenna to convince him that a move to Ipswich is his best route to achieving that goal.