Wolves to rival Everton & West Ham for Middlesbrough star Hayden Hackney | OneFootball

Hayden Hackney has been identified as a potential signing by the West Midlands outfit.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have added Middlesbrough's star midfielder Hayden Hackney to their transfer shortlist as they plot a late move for a new central midfielder.

Hackney's performances ever since breaking into the first-team fold at the Riverside Stadium under Michael Carrick and now Rob Edwards have constantly had Premier League sides on red alert, with the 23-year-old becoming one of the Championship's standout performers and hottest properties on the market.

Middlesbrough and their West Midlands counterparts have endured extremely contrasting starts to the campaign in the second-tier and top-flight, with the Reds just one of two sides in the Championship to have taken maximum points from their first three encounters.

Whilst Vitor Pereira saw his side claim their first success of the season against West Ham United in the EFL Cup second round on Tuesday following back-to-back league defeats against Manchester City and Bournemouth.

Wolverhampton Wanderers add Hayden Hackney to midfield transfer shortlist amid his Premier League wish

According to an update from John Percy - The Telegraph's Midlands football reporter - late on Thursday evening, Wolves have earmarked the Middlesbrough midfielder to their transfer shortlist of potential new signings before the window closes.

Hackney has been the subject of long-standing interest from Premier League sides such as Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa earlier in the year, at a time when FC Porto also reportedly saw a £10m bid rejected for the midfielder's services.

Such interest from clubs higher up the food chain has failed to dissipate this summer too, although the Middlesbrough hierarchy have maintained a stance that the England Under-21 midfielder, who has scored and posted one assist so far this campaign, is not for sale.

After turning down what would be a Championship-record £20m move to Ipswich Town earlier in the window, Hackney has since expressed his desire to leave his boyhood club should a Premier League side make a concrete bid between now and Monday's 7pm transfer deadline, with the likes of West Ham United and Everton credited with recent interest.

The East London and Merseyside outfit have now been joined by Wolves in the potential late transfer race for Hackney's signature, according to Percy's aforementioned update, although he has reaffirmed that Boro remain in no rush to see their prized asset leave, with the midfielder still under contract on Teesside until the summer of 2027.

Hayden Hackney would add a different dimension to Wolves' midfield under Vitor Pereira

Many would argue that Hackney is immediately capable of making the step-up into the Premier League and, subsequently, going from strength-to-strength as his career continues to blossom.

Wolves' central midfield department is currently lacking in depth at present, meaning Pereira would definitely welcome the extra body in the middle of the park who would provide adequate competition for the likes of Andre - who remains a standout performer at Molineux - and Joao Gomes.

He would likely have to battle it out with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Marshall Munetsi, who are the Portuguese's only other experienced options when it comes to cover, for a starting berth should one of the aforementioned key men for the Old Gold and Black suffer injury woes or become unavailable due to suspension.

It is no surprise that Hackney and Middlesbrough continue to have differing stances on their immediate and long-term future, and at present, the club's stance will remain crucial in any potential developments over the coming days.