Aston Villa will compete with fellow Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers for 22-year-old Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.
According to a report by Graeme Bailey on TBR Football, Hayden Hackney is the subject of interest from Aston Villa. The Villans are scouring the market for a holding midfielder heading into the January transfer window. However, the West Midlands outfit will compete with fellow Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers for the 22-year-old.
The rise of Hayden Hackney
Hayden Hackney has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the EFL Championship since breaking into the first-team squad at Middlesbrough. A native of Redcar, the Englishman spent his formative years with Middlesbrough after joining the club at the under-10 level.
The 22-year-old made his first-team bow at Middlesbrough in July 2021. However, Hackney had to wait until the 2022/23 season to become a regular for Boro, with his exploits capturing the attention of several high-profile Premier League outfits. Reports in the summer transfer window linked him with a few clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
The English midfield prospect has turned out 77 times thus far for Middlesbrough while chipping in with seven goals and six assists. Meanwhile, Hayden Hackney’s progress at the Riverside Stadium continues to pique the attention of Premier League clubs, with Aston Villa among his prospective suitors.
Premier League move on the horizon?
Aston Villa’s interest in Hayden Hackney is understandable. The West Midlands club bolstered the midfield department by signing Amadou Onana in the summer transfer window. However, the eagerness to reinforce the midfield unit again makes sense, considering Aston Villa will see a fixture pile-up in the second half of the 2024/25 season.
While Boubacar Kamara is closing in on returning from a long-term knee injury, Hackney can be a solid long-term addition to the first-team squad at Aston Villa. The Villans have already experienced success by signing a Middlesbrough prospect, with Morgan Rogers establishing himself as a pivotal figure.
However, Aston Villa will face stiff competition from fellow Premier League clubs like Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers for the 22-year-old Middlesbrough midfielder. It will be interesting to see if the West Midlands club can win the race to sign the Englishman in January.
