Tottenham Hotspur are still without a manager as the Thomas Frank deal edges closer to completion, but the Lilywhites are looking to sign a £20m-rated homegrown midfielder.
Tottenham are yet to appoint a new manager since Ange Postecoglou was sacked last Friday. Thomas Frank is rumoured to be the favourite to take over at Spurs and according to one report, Frank has already told Spurs to sign Bryan Mbeumo.
However, not all of Tottenham’s current transfer targets have been selected by Frank. Spurs appear to be interested in a midfielder competing at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, who looks to be a potential club signing.
Spurs have enjoyed signing young midfielders in recent times. Teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were both signed last summer and each picked up a reasonable number of minutes in their debut seasons at the club.
Tottenham are scouting Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney
According to The Sun, Tottenham are considering signing Hayden Hackney, who could leave Middlesbrough after their failed promotion bid. It was reported earlier in the year that Tottenham were competing with two European clubs to sign Hackney.
The 22-year-old is currently in Slovakia for the UEFA U21 Euro Finals, where Spurs scouts will be keeping a close eye on his displays.
The player is valued at £20m, but Middlesbrough do not want to sell him and could increase their asking price depending on how well he performs on international duty.
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Porto attempted to sign Hackney in January. However, Middlesbrough rejected their £9m bid. Stuttgart and Crystal Palace are also interested, but Tottenham’s scouts are said to be ‘running the rule’ over Hackney.
Who is Spurs transfer target Hayden Hackney?
Hackney came through the ranks at Middlesbrough and has spent his whole career at the Championship club, except for a loan spell at Scunthorpe United.
He primarily plays as a defensive midfielder, thus explaining his modest goal contribution stats from the past season. He registered five goals and three assists in 43 league appearances.
While Hackney now plays for the English youth team, he has made two appearances for Scotland under-21s, as he is eligible due to his Edinburgh-born mother.
In his last outing for England U21S, Hackney scored the opening goal in a 4-2 win over Portugal. He could be in action again on Thursday, as England take on Czechia, which will be broadcast in the UK on Channel 4.