Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit urges Middlesbrough to avoid Ipswich Town transfer | OneFootball

Don Goodman believes Boro should look to avoid doing business with a Championship rival.

Middlesbrough could be under pressure to sell Hayden Hackney this summer with Ipswich Town eyeing up a move for the midfielder.

The Tractor Boys received a significant transfer fee for the sale of striker Liam Delap to Chelsea earlier this summer, while Premier League side Brentford are interested in signing Omari Hutchinson in a deal that would likely be worth more than £35 million, according to Football Insider.

Therefore, Kieran McKenna could have plenty of funds available as he prepares for his side's return to the Championship next season, and Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney is reportedly on Ipswich's radar.

Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace were linked with the 23-year-old last month, but after Portuguese giants Porto had a £9 million bid rejected in January, it could well take an eight-figure fee to sign the player, who is under contract at the Riverside Stadium until the summer of 2027.

Ipswich are a club with the capability to offer a fee that could be tempting for Middlesbrough, and would enable Rob Edwards to reinvest in his squad during the remainder of the transfer window, so Boro may feel pressured to sell Hackney if the right bid comes in.

Don Goodman urges Middlesbrough not to sell to promotion rival

Sky Sports pundit, Don Goodman, spoke exclusively to Football League World about Ipswich's reported interest in Hayden Hackney, and while he accepted that the player is likely to want Premier League football in the coming years, he believes Middlesbrough should not sell him to one of their promotion rivals in the Championship.

"He has been a permanent fixture in Middlesbrough's team for the last three seasons," Goodman said.

"Hayden Hackney has really, really excelled to the point that he has been linked with moves to some big clubs abroad and some Premier League teams.

"At 23 years old, he will now be desperate to have a crack at a higher level, especially the Premier League, if that becomes an option.

"He is a Middlesbrough lad, and you would love to think that if it was a choice between staying at Middlesbrough for another season under a new manager, a new regime, a fresh start, or moving to another Championship team, which is what Ipswich Town are, that he would want to stay to try and get Middlesbrough up to the Premier League.

"If it were a move to a Premier League club, then that might be a different story, but if you are Middlesbrough, you certainly would not want to be selling to a club that you know is going to be towards the top end of the Championship."

Middlesbrough want £20 million for Hackney

New Boro boss Rob Edwards insisted that Hackney was "fully committed" to the club after he featured in a pre-season friendly against Mansfield Town at the weekend, as per the Northern Echo.

"H, as far as I'm concerned and aware at the moment, he's here and that's why he's playing and out on the pitch," Edwards said.

"He's a really good player."

It is no surprise that Edwards is apparently keen to keep hold of the midfielder, but with Ipswich and other clubs keen on signing him before the end of the transfer window, he may not get his wish.

The Sun reported that Boro wanted a fee of £20 million for Hackney earlier this summer, so if the club are going to sell the England under-21 international, they should do so with enough time left in the transfer window to reinvest the transfer fee wisely.