Man United Plot Shock Swoop For Player Who Could Take Club’s Summer Spending To £160M

Man United are weighing up a surprise bid for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, according to reports.

Ipswich Town have had a £20m offer for the 23-year-old accepted in recent days and there was an expectation that he would complete his move to Portman Road.

However, GiveMeSport claim there is a possibility that the Red Devils will look to hijack the move, having kept tabs on Hackney for a considerable period of time.

Even if Ruben Amorim’s side do make an approach, though, it is not 100% guaranteed that the player would agree to make the switch to Old Trafford.

Hackney is believed to have concerns about game time, and although he would reportedly jump at the chance of playing in the Premier League, he would still want certain assurances from Amorim.

Several other clubs have shown interest in Hackney

Porto have tried to buy the midfielder in recent months, having had a £10m proposal knocked back by Middlesbrough. Considering his asking price is double that figure, it seems unlikely that the Portuguese side will return to compete with Ipswich and Man United to secure his services.

Tottenham and Everton have also considered making bids of their own, but for the time being, only Ipswich have put their money on the table. We will see if any of these teams decide to hijack the deal over the coming days.

Man United have already spent over £140m this summer

Although the club haven’t moved for players as quickly as fans would have liked during the transfer window, significant sums have been shelled out on three new additions.

Matheus Cunha was brought in for £62.5m from Wolves, while Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon could end up costing the club £71m and £7m respectively if all add-ons are triggered.

Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here