Crystal Palace looking to beat Tottenham Hotspur to England U21 midfielder
An EFL midfielder, who Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be keen on signing, has now become a target for Crystal Palace, who are looking to complete a discounted deal for the player.
Tottenham are trying to fix their shortage of homegrown players ahead of their return to the Champions League and signing a defensive midfielder is reported to be one of Thomas Frank’s priorities this summer.
That explains why Tottenham are eyeing a move for Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, who would tick both of those boxes, having emerged as one of the best players in the Championship over the last few seasons.
It was reported a couple of weeks ago that Spurs were evaluating Hackney’s performances at the UEFA U21 Euros, but it turns out that they now have competition for the 23-year-old’s signature.
Crystal Palace and Tottenham eyeing a move for Hayden Hackney
The Sun have now claimed that Crystal Palace are now considering pushing ahead with a move to sign Hackney as Oliver Glasner looks to reinforce the Eagles’ midfield ahead of the new season.
The report does mention that the Boro youngster has been watched closely by Tottenham Hotspur for over a year but the South London club may be the first ones to advance on the youngster.
It is revealed that Palace are eyeing a £27m double swoop for Hackney and his Dutch team-mate Rav van den Berg, with the Spurs target priced at just £15m.
Palace’s scouts were reportedly spotted in several matches during the Under-21 European Championship, where the Boro academy graduate featured four times.
Middlesbrough’s stance on Hackney revealed
The Sun add that the midfielder is also generating interest from the Bundesliga, with Stuttgart keen on acquiring his services. Meanwhile, Portuguese giants Porto have already seen a £9m bid rejected by the Championship side for Hackney.
The outlet explains that new Boro boss Rob Edwards would love to keep the club’s prized asset for the upcoming season.
However, he knows that the cash generated from the Hackney sale would fund moves for his top targets, thus leaving the Riverside Stadium hierarchy with a big decision to make.
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