It has been one of the longest-running sagas of Everton’s summer, and Hayden Hackney still isn’t an Everton player.
Despite weeks of reported progress, a shifting valuation, and a clear desire from the midfielder himself to move to Merseyside, the deal remains unresolved heading into the final weeks before pre-season.
Here’s where things actually stand, and why the delay says more about negotiating tactics than genuine doubt over the move happening.
The valuation gap that won’t close
The fundamental issue has never really changed: Everton and Middlesbrough are still some distance apart on price. Early bids in the £12m to £15m range were swiftly rejected by Boro, who have at various points been reported to want anything from £20m up to £30m for their Championship Player of the Season.
The Teessiders’ financial position gives them every incentive to hold out – they posted an £11.4m loss for the year to June 2025 – and because Hackney is a homegrown academy graduate, any fee close to their valuation would likely represent profit on the balance sheet.
As we covered in our previous report on Everton’s £20m Hackney package, the Toffees had moved to a package worth around £20m to try to unlock the stalemate, only for talks to stall again amid claims Middlesbrough had gone quiet on the deal.
That silence, while unsettling for Evertonians watching the saga drag on, hasn’t translated into the club walking away from the table.
Numbers behind the asking price
Hackney’s stock has been built on substance rather than hype. He made 41 appearances across all competitions last season, contributing six goals and eight assists as Boro reached the Championship play-off final, and was named the division’s Player of the Season.
Full season data is available via FBref, and it’s his consistency – rather than a single standout campaign – that has toughened Middlesbrough’s resolve not to be rushed into a cut-price deal.
Why Everton haven’t walked away
If the silence from the Riverside was a genuine red flag, Everton would likely have moved on to alternative options by now, and they haven’t. Part of that comes down to Hackney’s own stance.
He has consistently made clear, through multiple outlets, that a move to the Hill Dickinson is his priority over rival interest from Crystal Palace, who have reportedly prepped a £20m offer of their own, and from longer-shot suitors including Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and clubs in Italy and Germany.
That preference gives Moyes’ recruitment team confidence to keep negotiating rather than meet Boro’s demands.
There’s also a contractual issue working in Everton’s favour. Hackney enters the final 12 months of his deal this summer, meaning Boro risk losing him for nothing next year if they overplay their hand now.
Everton appear willing to let that pressure build rather than be rushed into overpaying – a more patient approach than the club has always been able to afford in recent windows.
There’s a wider subplot here, too. How far Everton are ultimately willing to go – closer to £20m or up toward £30m – may say less about Hackney’s individual quality and more about the scale of The Friedkin Group’s ambitions this summer, after several windows impacted by financial caution out of necessity.
Expected outcome: A deal that goes to the wire
With Idrissa Gana Gueye’s contract situation also adding urgency to Everton’s midfield plans, and Southampton’s Shea Charles understood to be a fallback option if Hackney talks collapse, there’s a natural deadline pressure building as pre-season approaches.
Don’t expect white smoke imminently, but nothing in the most recent reporting suggests Everton have lost their position as favourites for his signature. This one looks set to run for a while yet but the smart money remains on Hackney getting his move.
For the latest news throughout the window, visit our Everton News page.
