Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have rejected multiple bids for star English midfielder Hayden Hackney from Everton, while several other Premier League clubs are interested in the 23-year-old. (TEAMTalk), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Everton remain in pole position for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.

The Toffees have had two approaches rejected by Boro, who value the 23-year-old at around £20m.

Crystal Palace are also interested but Hackney currently favours a move to Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Nothing has developed since Everton's second approach while the club are also considering other midfield options.

Hackney has a year left on his contract at the Riverside after rejecting a £20m move to Ipswich last summer.

The England Under-21 international, part of the squad which won Euro 2025 last summer, was happy to stay at Boro and did not want to move to another Championship side.

Nottingham Forest also had an approach turned down late in the winter window in February.

Academy graduate Hackney has made 154 appearances for Boro, scoring 16 goals.

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Sheffield United midfielder Tahith Chong and Middlesbrough winger Sontje Hansen will be team-mates for the World Cup.

The pair will represent Curacao - the smallest nation to ever participate in the competition.

Both Chong and Hansen played the second half of Curacao's 4-0 friendly win over Aruba on Sunday, with all four goals coming while they were on the pitch.

Chong had given his country the lead against Scotland at Hampden Park last weekend before they went on to lose 4-1.

Rotherham defender Ar'Jany Martha, who was relegated to League Two in the 2025-26 season with the Millers, is also in the squad managed by ex-Netherlands, Rangers and Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat.

Elsewhere for Boro, Alfie Jones is in the Canada squad.

Here is a reminder who Curacao and Canada will face in the group stage, so you can keep an eye out once the World Cup begins on 11 June:

• Canada, Group B: Bosnia, Qatar and Switzerland

• Curacao, Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast and Ecuador

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Four members of Coventry City's title-winning side have been nominated for the Professional Footballers Association's Championship Players' Player of the Year award.

Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, captain Matt Grimes, midfielder Jack Rudoni and striker Haji Wright are all in the running to add another trophy to the Sky Blues' successful season.

Midfielder Grimes, 30, started all 46 of Coventry's league games as they finished 11 points clear at the top of the Championship while Wright, 28, scored 18 goals in all competitions and is part of the USA squad at the World Cup.

Rushworth, 24, spent the season on loan at Coventry from Brighton, keeping 17 clean sheets, while 24-year-old Rudoni scored seven goals, including late winners against Derby and Stoke.

Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik, who finished as the Championship's top scorer with 23 goals, have also been shortlisted for the award.

PFA members will vote for the winner who will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, 25 August.

"It must have been difficult for them with the way they come into the final, with all that went on with Spygate. I just wonder if they, as a group of players, had a bit of impostor syndrome and just felt they don't really deserve to be here."

The 72+ team are joined by Bromley boss Andy Woodman to reflect on a difficult day at Wembley for Middlesbrough, who lost to Hull City after qualifying for the Championship final following Southampton's expulsion for spying.

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Aidan Morris says there was a sense of "deja vu" as Middlesbrough let slip another chance of promotion through their grasp.

Boro became the first side to lose in both the semi-final and final of the Championship play-offs after their agonising loss to Hull City in injury time at Wembley.

They were granted the opportunity after Southampton were kicked out following the Spygate scandal, but the Teessiders were left stunned by Oli McBurnie's late goal.

"It feels like deja vu from 10 days ago," the midfielder told BBC Radio Tees.

"It's disappointing. We're not going to be victims. We could have done more. As a collective, we weren't good enough and that's it."

Boro were only reinstated into the final on Tuesday evening after Saints' expulsion, but Morris refused to offer the short and unusual preparation as an excuse for the result.

He added: "Obviously, it's a bit different from normal football situations. But we should have been better."

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The referee for Saturday's Championship play-off final between Hull City and Middlesbrough will be Jared Gillett.

The Australian is usually a Premier League official but his one Championship game this season was Boro's crucial match at Ipswich on 19 April, when the fight for the top two was in full swing.

The visitors were leading 2-1 when Town were awarded a controversial penalty for a tug on George Hirst in the area four minutes from time, allowing Jack Clarke to salvage a point which helped the Tractor Boys finish second, four points above Boro.

Four Boro players were booked in 39-year-old Gillett's total of six cautions on the day.

One thing which will be different this time around is that the video assistant referee (VAR) will be in use at Wembley, whereas it was not at Portman Road.

In last year's final, VAR intervened to chalk off a goal which would have put Sheffield United 2-0 up against Sunderland before the Black Cats came back to snatch a last-gasp 2-1 win.