Everton Reach Agreement for Hayden Hackney: £16.5m Initial Fee

Everton have reached a full agreement with Middlesbrough to sign midfielder Hayden Hackney in a deal that starts at £16.5 million. 

News emerged on Monday afternoon that Everton were closing in on a deal to sign Hackney for around £25 million. It was unclear at the time whether that was a 25 million pound initial fee or the total price including add-ons. 

Hackney was clearly one of Everton's priority targets for the summer transfer window, while they also have historical interest in the player. 

The Toffees are in the market for a new midfielder this summer, with Idrissa Gueye currently out of contract at the end of this month. Tim Iroegbunam has also been linked with a move to newly promoted Hull City, meaning it would not be a surprise if Everton brought in at least two midfielders.  

According to Paul Joyce of The Times and The Bobble, Everton have agreed a deal with Middlesbrough to sign Hackney in the summer transfer window. 

It's claimed that Everton will pay an initial £16.5m, plus a further £5m on appearances, and an additional £3m linked to Champions League and England games. 

It looks as though the Toffees will be looking to wrap the deal up before Middlesbrough return to pre-season later this week, meaning Hackney can link up with his Everton teammates for the whole of pre-season. 

Hackney had interest from clubs such as Crystal Palace, Manchester United, and Tottenham, but he was keen on making the move to Everton. They are now closing in on securing his signature. 

I still have slight concerns about how you fit Hackney into the current Everton system. I was also waiting to discover the confirmed fee that Everton were going to pay. 

An initial £16.5 million guaranteed is a smart deal for the Toffees, with the rest of the fee coming from unguaranteed add-ons. 

If Hackney flourishes at Everton, then they will have no issue in paying the additional fee. If he struggles to adapt, then Everton will only likely have to pay under £20 million for Hackney, and they should easily still be able to get their money back for him. 

At the age of 24, Hackney is still yet to reach his full potential, and his skill set will be valuable to many clubs even if it doesn't work out at Everton. 

Unfortunately, the midfielder market is hugely inflated at the moment, as you'll see with some of the players being linked with moves this summer.

At the end of the day, if Everton end up paying the full £25m, it means Hackney and Everton have both gone on to achieve huge things. There's little point in worrying about paying £25m overall, as it will only be a positive thing if the fee ever reaches that figure.