Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick is a big fan of Hayden Hackney after working with the midfielder at Middlesbrough, but a summer move to Old Trafford seems unlikely.
Hayden Hackney is a man in demand (Image: Trevor Wilkinson/NurPhoto)
Hayden Hackney is said to be willing to join Everton, ignoring interest from other suitors including Manchester United, if the Toffees make a move for the Middlesbrough playmaker.
The midfielder is widely regarded as one of the best players outside of the Premier League and was named Championship Player of the Season for 2025-26 after helping Boro reach the play-offs. Middlesbrough are expected to sell Hackney, who has only one year left on his contract, after losing to Hull City in the Championship play-off final.
Hackney have no shortage of fans in the top flight and it was revealed earlier this week that former Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick is keen to bring Hackney to Old Trafford.
However, The Athletic reports that Everton are Hackney’s preferred destination as things stand.
Tottenham and Crystal Palace are two other teams seriously considering signing Hackney in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old could be available for a whopping £15m due to his contract situation, but there are suggestions that Middlesbrough could play hardball and decide to keep Hackney for the final 12 months of his contract.
Carrick was said to be “leading the pursuit” of Hackney when interest from the Red Devils was reported earlier this week, but it is noted that United have other midfield targets they are prioritizing.
Manchester United could add up to three new midfielders to their squad this summer, having already agreed a £39m deal with Ederson.
United have already signed Ederson from Atalanta (Image: PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Atalanta midfielder will join for a starting fee of £35m and a further £4m in add-ons after United signed a deal with Atalanta. Ederson is expected to complete his move after completing a medical and is expected to sign a contract until 2030, the first of his time in Carrick.
Elliott Anderson is also one of the players United would like to bring to Old Trafford this summer, but Manchester City are favorites to sign Nottingham Forest’s star.
Matheus Fernandes, Carlos Baleva and Sandro Tonali are three other midfielders with Premier League experience that Manchester United admire.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
