Ipswich Town Plans £20m Bid for Middlesbrough Midfielder Hayden Hackney

Ipswich Town is aggressively pursuing Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, offering a Championship-record bid of around £20 million and a weekly wage of £35,000, as they aim to strengthen their squad for promotion contention. Despite Ipswich's financial muscle and concrete advances, Hackney reportedly prefers a move to a Premier League club, keeping Everton in the race if they match Ipswich's offer. Ipswich has also expressed interest in Hackney's Middlesbrough teammate Dael Fry, although no formal bids have been made and Middlesbrough are reluctant to sell Fry. Meanwhile, Ipswich is looking to bolster their attacking options by making an approach for Metz striker Idrissa Gueye, who is attracting interest from major European clubs including Liverpool, West Ham, and Manchester United. The Tractor Boys have had a strong start to the transfer window, having already signed players like Azor Matusiwa, Cedric Kipre, and Ashley Young, and are positioning themselves as early front-runners for promotion alongside other big-spending Championship teams. Middlesbrough faces a challenging season ahead with potential key departures and a new managerial approach under Rob Edwards.