Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards makes "win-win" Hayden Hackney claim amid Ipswich Town bid | OneFootball

Boro were happy with the Tractor Boys' £20 million offer. It's now on the player to make the final decision.

Rob Edwards has confirmed that Hayden Hackney's future is in his hands after Middlesbrough accepted a £20m+ bid from Ipswich Town for the midfielder.

It was reported this week by Sky Sports that Boro had agreed to sell their academy graduate midfielder to the Tractor Boys for a Championship-record fee worth north of £20m, following weeks of links between Hackney and a move to Kieran McKenna's side.

Amid a lot of high-profile additions, the 23-year-old England youth international had been one of the standout players under Michael Carrick over the past three seasons.

Carrick was relieved of his duties by the Teessiders following the end of last season, and now Hackney could be on the move, the difference being that it is now up to the player.

The Northern Echo revealed that there is no guarantee that he will move to the Suffolk side, despite the mega bid being accepted, and Ipswich, according to Alan Nixon, would be willing to pay the player £35,000 per week.

Edwards, Carrick's replacement, has confirmed that it is up to the 23-year-old to decide on his future.

Boro would look to use the money earned from this potential sale to seal the arrival of a new attacking option, as per the Echo.

On Ipswich's offer for Hackney, Edwards said: "I can’t say too much more right now than what’s already been said [that an offer has been accepted]. The ball, so to speak, is in H’s [Hackney] court now, and that’s where we stand.

"I think it’s a win-win, and I’m happy to reassure fans of that and to be calm about the situation. If H stays here, he’s a brilliant player and he’s ours which is great. If he’s not, there will be funds available."

FLW's sister publication, GIVEMESPORT, have reported that Manchester United are considering an attempted hijacking of the Tractor Boys' move for the Boro man, which could throw another spanner in the works for both teams involved in the accepted offer.

The former Luton Town manager's comments about Hackney's situation are quite stark, not in the actual words he used, but the potential underlying meaning behind them.

Every club at this level has a price for all of their players that they are willing to sell them for. That has obviously been met by Ipswich, and it'd give Boro a decent chunk of money to further reinforce their squad, but, if you're the player, Edwards' comments may come across as a bit indifferent.

You want to be wanted by the people you work with, and although he credited his talent and importance to the team, he does seem perfectly happy to let Hackney go and get to work reinvesting his transfer fee into the squad.

Perhaps Middlesbrough's acceptance of Ipswich Town's offer revealed that anyway, but it's potentially too honest a response from Edwards; one that could push the England Under-21 to ultimately leave.