According to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are ready to make the highest bid yet tabled for the 23-year-old, who contributed six goals and eight assists in 41 Championship appearances last season. Everton have twice been knocked back — an opening offer of £12 million was dismissed, a follow-up at £15 million met the same fate — with Middlesbrough making clear neither was close to acceptable.
Hackney remains Everton's preferred destination in the player's own mind, according to the Liverpool Echo. But preference has a shelf life, and Palace's move could force the issue.
Middlesbrough value Hackney at £25 million. The club finished as Championship play-off finalists, losing 1-0 to Hull City in the final, and must now rebuild for another promotion push. Their stance is consistent: they will not sell below their valuation, and are prepared to let Hackney enter the final year of his contract in 2027 rather than accept an underpowered offer.
That position is not a bluff. Hackney was named the division's outstanding player last season, has Premier League clubs queuing for his signature, and will attract an even wider field if he enters the final year of his deal.
Palace have their own motivation for moving quickly. The Conference League winners face a summer of uncertainty following Oliver Glasner's departure to AC Milan, with the club in the process of identifying a new manager. Losing influential midfielder Adam Wharton — Liverpool are understood to be preparing a bid — would accelerate the need to bring in a high-quality central midfield replacement.
Everton, meanwhile, have broader midfield targets under David Moyes. Southampton's Shea Charles has also been tracked, with four Premier League clubs registered as interested following the Northern Irishman's display in a 3-1 friendly defeat to France — in which he created the goal that briefly brought his side level.
The Hackney situation is moving toward a conclusion. Middlesbrough know what they want. Someone has to blink first.