Hayden Hackney, Ipswich Town transfer truth emerges as Middlesbrough FC stance revealed | OneFootball

An update has emerged on Ipswich Town's pursuit of Middlesbrough midfield star Hayden Hackney

A significant update has emerged in the transfer saga involving Hayden Hackney's potential move to Ipswich Town, with the Tractor Boys' initial offering for the highly-rated midfielder falling below Middlesbrough's valuation.

As reported on Monday afternoon by Craig Johns of TeessideLive, the stunning £20 million bid from Ipswich is short of Middlesbrough's asking price for Hackney ahead of a potential departure from the North East this month.

Ipswich's offer was first called yesterday by The Sun's Alan Nixon, via his exclusive Patreon service, and it appears as though Kieran McKenna's side will have to return with an improved offer in order to land Hackney's much-sought-after services.

Middlesbrough are understandably eager to retain Hackney, who has established himself as one of the Championship's top midfielders in recent years after making a first-team breakthrough back in the 2022/23 campaign under Michael Carrick, becoming a hot property in the process.

The 23-year-old Boro academy product's future on Teesside has been the subject of speculation for some time now, and the Reds will be looking to keep hold of him ahead of a rebuild under new boss Rob Edwards.

It has, however, been a quiet window to date at the Riverside Stadium, with Edwards only making one signing for the first-team in the form of defender Alfie Jones from Hull City.

Ipswich Town, Hayden Hackney transfer truth revealed as player and Middlesbrough FC stances emerge

The aforementioned report from TeessideLive has described Ipswich as being the first club of a number of interested parties to have made the first move for Hackney's signature, yet their advance has still fallen short of Middlesbrough's asking price.

Although the reported £20 million figure would represent a Championship-record transfer fee, Middlesbrough are said to value Hackney in excess of that sum. Their exact valuation, however, remains unclear at this moment in time.

In spite of that, though, the report has added that talks are ongoing between the two clubs, with Ipswich perhaps still believing they can successfully broker a deal.

Hackney's stance, meanwhile, is an interesting one. The 10-cap England international, who has reportedly been proposed a £35,000 weekly salary at Ipswich, would prefer to join a Premier League club but is open to the prospect of heading to Portman Road if a top-flight move does not materialise.

Earlier this month, Sky Sports linked the likes of Brentford, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham and West Ham, alongside a trio of European outfits in Bayer Leverkusen, FC Porto and Stuttgart, to Hackney, who has no shortage of suitors as he continues to assess his future following three campaigns starring in Boro's first-team.

Middlesbrough FC could be disappointed at potential Hayden Hackney, Ipswich Town transfer

It would undoubtedly sting those of a Middlesbrough persuasion to see Hackney depart for a Championship rival, even if Ipswich's promotion aspirations are far more credible and a move to Suffolk could well bring Premier League football this time next year.

A move to a top-flight division, be it the Premier League or one overseas, would perhaps make more sense for Hackney at this stage of his career after proving his worth as a first-rate operator in the second-tier, but it's Ipswich who are making advances at the time of writing.

If Hackney really wants to leave, though, Middlesbrough may well be hoping that Premier League clubs intensify their efforts to sign him in order to avoid losing the classy midfielder to a divisional rival, which would make the natural blow of losing him hurt that little bit more.