According to reports, Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney is attracting the attention of Premier League outfit, Nottingham Forest.
Forest’s chief football officer, Ross Wilson is said to have ‘run the rule’ over the 20-year-old England Under 21 international according to journalist, Alan Nixon who revealed the East Midlands club’s interest via his patreon site.
The report suggested that Forest-who are in 12th place in the Premier League-‘could make a move’ for Hackney over the next couple of transfer windows, with scope to negotiate a player swap deal that would see Forest’s Lewis O’Brien (currently on loan with Boro) move in the opposite direction.
With Hackney’s worth said to be somewhere around £10 million, it is not clear whether the potential for a swap would include a fee or just a straight exchange. As impressive as Lewis O’Brien has been for Middlesbrough so far, Teesside fans would surely be disappointed to see the young academy product leave the Riverside.
Hackney has been one of the brighter points of Boro’s campaign so far; a period where they have ultimately struggled to get results.
Praise form Carrick
Earlier in the month, Michael Carrick was effusive in his praise for the youngster who made his England Under 21 bow, saying that he thought Hackney ‘was the best player on the pitch by quite some way’. Very high praise for a game that also featured the likes of Cole Palmer, Harvey Elliott and Rico Lewis.
Middlesbrough and Michael Carrick are acutely aware of the value of their midfield starlet, and ensured his future at he club was secured in December last year, giving him a fresh contract until the summer of 2027. It means Boro are in control of the situation if anything does develop.
Speaking in an article published by the Yorkshire Post at the time, Michael Carrick said Hackney had been ‘terrific’ and had ‘played really well’ during his tenure.
It seems Carrick is not the only one to take note of the youngster’s form and with the Premier League ruling of clubs only being allowed to have 17 non-homegrown players in the squad, it makes Forest’s interest appear even more likely given their influx of players from abroad.