Leeds United are interested in Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney as they look to strengthen after securing their Premier League status earlier this month. Middlesbrough are holding out for £20 million for the 23-year-old, who is set to enter the final year of his deal.
The timing gives the chase extra edge. Leeds were sitting 14th in the table with one match remaining when they sealed safety, and their late-season form has given the club reason to move early in the market. They then beat Brighton 1-0 with a stoppage-time goal from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, extending an eight-game unbeaten run since March and underlining the momentum behind Daniel Farke’s side.
Farke did not hide what the result meant after that win. He said the game summed up the season, praising the mentality, spirit and fight in the dressing room, and thanked supporters for backing a squad he described as second to none. He also said the club were working to build one of the best teams in the country. That urgency helps explain why a player like Hackney is on the radar now rather than later.
The backdrop to the story is what has happened at Middlesbrough’s end of the division. Southampton were charged by the EFL for spying on a Middlesbrough training session two days before the first leg of their play-off semi-final, and the governing body said a disciplinary hearing would be held on or before Tuesday. Tonda Eckert’s side are scheduled to face Hull City in the Wembley play-off final on Saturday.
That case matters for the market because Middlesbrough could end up in a stronger or weaker position depending on how it is resolved. If the commission rules in Southampton’s favour, Middlesbrough could lose bargaining power over Hackney. If they are reinstated into the play-offs and win promotion, they could either keep him or demand more money. For Leeds, the calculation is simple: they need quality, and they need it while they are back among the elite.
Hackney, 23, fits the profile of a player Leeds would want to add to a squad that has already shown it can survive the Premier League test. Middlesbrough’s asking price of £20 million suggests they know that too. The next move may be shaped less by Leeds’ ambition than by what Middlesbrough, and the EFL, decide in the days ahead.
