Nottingham Forest will need to sign a replacement for Elliot Anderson this summer.
Anderson is being courted by Manchester City and Manchester United, with the midfielder valued at around £120 million by Evangelos Marinakis.
Will Evangelos Marinakis part with the money for Hayden Hackney?
Is he capable of replacing Elliot Anderson at the City Ground?
Paul Scholes thinks Anderson is perfect for United, and it does feel as though he’s going to leave Forest after the World Cup.
Possible replacements have already been mooted with moves to Trentside, and now Hayden Hackney arriving at Forest might have taken a significant step.
Forest’s hopes of signing Hayden Hackney increase
Last night, Middlesbrough were the latest Championship club to be cruelly beaten at the end of extra-time, with Southampton midfielder Shea Charles scoring in the 116th minute to make the final against Hull.
Boro had hoped to win promotion and keep hold of Hackney, but the man who has missed the last nine games of the Championship campaign and both play-off games through injury will almost certainly be on the move.
Forest have been heavily linked with Hackney, and the fact that they’re going to have a bounty of cash to spend on a midfielder could give them the edge over other interested parties.
Hackney might cost between £20 and £30 million this summer, with Boro almost certain to lose him to the Premier League now that promotion to the top-flight is off the cards.
Forest will have to move quickly to get this deal over the line, but given that it’s a midfielder signing that could prove pretty easy to do, the Reds could hold the aces over some other clubs.
Jota Silva will be heading back to Nottingham Forest this summer
Could he be any worse than our other wingers this season?
Hackney has come through the academy ranks at Middlesbrough, scoring five goals and claiming six assists from 38 games as the club reached the play-offs this season.
Boro will be devastated to lose their captain this summer but their loss could now be a positive for Forest and it will be interesting to see if the club make a swoop to bring him to the East Midlands.
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