Everton transfer news: Toffees ‘in pole position’ to sign award-winning Man Utd-linked midfielder with ‘preference’ revealed

Everton are reportedly leading the race for in-demand Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney this summer.

The Toffees are expected to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season after missing out on European qualification in the 2025-26 campaign, finishing 13th in the Premier League table.

Midfield reinforcements are thought to be high on the agenda for manager David Moyes, who particularly relied on the brilliance of James Garner and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the middle of the pitch last season.

Idrissa Gueye, Tim Iroegbunam, Merlin Rohl and Carlos Alcaraz are other central midfield options at Moyes’s disposal, though the former is due to see his current contract expire at the end of the month and turns 37 years of age in September.

One midfielder who has been linked with a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium in recent months is 23-year-old Hackney, who is expected to leave Middlesbrough this summer after missing out on Premier League promotion.

Everton leading the race for Hackney amid Premier League interest

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest allegedly had approaches rebuffed in January, but the Premier League duo are thought to retain an interest in the England Under-21 international.

A recent report claims that Manchester United - now managed by ex-Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick - are ‘increasingly likely’ to make a move for Hackney, while Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest.

However, The Athletic reports that Hackney’s preference is to join Everton, which puts them in pole position to win the race for his signature this summer.

Negotiations between Everton and Middlesbrough are yet to commence, but as soon as Hackney has finalised his decision, talks will follow ahead of any deal being agreed.

Hackney will soon be entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Riverside Stadium and he should represent good value for money for buying clubs.

Moyes an admirer of Championship Player of the Season Hackney

Meanwhile, Sky Sports News claims that Hackney has been on Moyes’s radar for some time and is high among the midfield names Everton are considering making a bid for.

Hackney, who has previously been valued at around £25m, made what could prove to be his 154th and final appearance for Middlesbrough as a substitute in the Championship playoff final defeat to Hull City last month.

The midfielder was named Championship Player of the Season after a stellar 2025-26 campaign for Boro, scoring five goals and providing eight assists in 38 games as a deep-lying midfielder.

Hackney has primarily operated in deeper midfield positions, but he is competent drifting forward, with no Championship player averaging more than his 35.7 touches in the attacking third per 90 minutes last season.

The Redcar-born talent has spent his entire career at Middlesbrough, joining their academy at Under-10s level and worked his way through the club's youth ranks before making his senior debut in January 2021, but a Premier League move is seemingly on the cards this summer.