West Ham United are keeping tabs on Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney at this point, according to The Sun.

The England youth international has been linked with a move away from the Riverside for some time now, making his full first-team breakthrough last term and continuing to shine.

He will be disappointed that his team have been unable to mount a major promotion push at this point, especially when considering some of the players they have been able to bring in during the past couple of transfer windows.

However, that could end up benefitting other teams who want him, with Boro likely to be in a slightly weaker negotiating position with Hackney during the next transfer window if they remain in the Championship beyond the end of this term.

The Teesside outfit, however, have been very shrewd with the midfielder.

Tying the 21-year-old down to a new contract back in the summer to extend his deal at the Riverside until the summer of 2027, the club’s board have the opportunity to demand a sizeable fee for one of their most valuable assets.

The one good thing for the Hammers and other interested clubs though is the fact owner Steve Gibson has been willing to sanction the exits of some talented players in recent years, including Chuba Akpom, Djed Spence and Marcus Tavernier.

All sales allowed Gibson to reinvest some of that money into Boro’s first-team squad, which could persuade the Teesside outfit to cash in on Hackney at some point too.

The latest transfer news on Hayden Hackney

It has been reported that the Irons have continued to keep tabs on the midfielder, with both David Moyes’ side and Nottingham Forestwatching the 21-year-old in action against Preston North End on Wednesday.

Forest’s interest has been reported before – but it has now been revealed by The Sun that West Ham are keen to add some more energy to their side, and have identified Hackney as a potential target to pursue.