Everton transfer news: David Moyes beats Man United to £16m signing of “promising” midfielder

Everton person completed the signing of midfielder Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough.

The 24-year-old has enactment pen to insubstantial connected a five-year declaration until June 2031 and moves to the Hill Dickinson Stadium for an undisclosed fee, believed to beryllium astatine slightest £16m.

Hackney had been linked with respective Premier League clubs implicit the past 12 months, including Manchester United who are present managed by erstwhile Boro brag Michael Carrick.

Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were also linked with Hackney, but Everton person landed the 2025-26 Championship Player of the Season.

Hackney made what proved to beryllium his 154th and last quality for Middlesbrough successful the Championship playoff final, losing 1-0 to Hull City astatine Wembley Stadium.

The Redcar-born endowment leaves Boro having spent his full vocation astatine the club, initially joining their academy astatine Under-10s level earlier moving his mode done the club's younker ranks and making his elder debut successful January 2021.

Hackney is present looking guardant to representing Everton successful the Premier League and has go the club’s archetypal signing of this summer’s transportation window.

Moyes a cardinal origin down Hackney’s determination to articulation Everton

Someone bid a Hackney? ? pic.twitter.com/bclS5Mw0Nu

Speaking to evertontv, Hackney said: "I'm delighted to beryllium here. As soon arsenic I spoke to the manager, arsenic soon arsenic I knew Everton were interested, to beryllium honest, it was ever going to beryllium Everton.

“It’s specified a large club, with the caller stadium and the absorption it’s going in. I conscionable wanted to beryllium portion of that.

"The manager's way grounds of bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League was a monolithic portion of my determination arsenic well. Hopefully I tin beryllium the adjacent 1 to bash it successfully for Everton.

"It feels similar a bully acceptable for me, for sure. I deliberation it's a fixed that you enactment hard, you run, you marque tackles. I'll beryllium doing that.

What tin Everton fans expect from caller signing Hackney?

"I deliberation fans tin expect a spot of everything from maine – attacking and defensively. I deliberation I tin transportation the shot well, get precocious successful the box, and hopefully people immoderate goals. I deliberation there's plentifulness much to travel from me. Obviously, I haven't played successful the Premier League yet, truthful erstwhile I get utilized to that I deliberation I tin footwear connected from there.

"It was large for maine to get it done earlier the commencement of pre-season. I wanted to beryllium present connected time 1 and bash the full pre-season with the lads. I can't hold for it. It helps with everything. Obviously, it's a caller acceptable of lads who I'll get utilized to and past besides surviving down here. I'm delighted."

Reacting to the accomplishment of Hackney astatine Everton, Moyes said: “Hayden is simply a promising young subordinate who we’ve been tracking for immoderate time, and I’m looking guardant to moving with him.

Signing for the Toffees! ✍️

“We’ve had a way grounds implicit the years of identifying players successful the Championship who person gone connected to bash truly good for america and been bully investments. We anticipation that volition beryllium the lawsuit with Hayden, too.

“He’s an England Under-21 planetary who volition supply greater contention successful midfield, which is thing I wanted going into the caller season.”

Hackney: “Signing for Everton is perfect timing”

Hackney believes that helium is joining Everton and making the measurement up to the Premier League astatine the close infinitesimal successful his career, with the midfielder acceptable to conflict for regular starts nether Moyes.

"It feels similar signing for Everton is perfect timing," helium added. "I consciousness that past play truly developed maine much arsenic a subordinate successful each aspects of my game.

"Obviously, I convey Middlesbrough for the clip that I was there, which was unbelievable, but present I consciousness acceptable and consciousness it's clip to marque the alteration and I'm truly looking guardant to it.

"There are immoderate unbelievable players present and the contention is going to beryllium pugnacious but I'm acceptable to get going and to compete."

Everton are present acceptable to crook their attraction to other transportation targets including Chelsea duo Tyrique George and Liam Delap, the erstwhile of whom walk the 2nd fractional of past play connected indebtedness astatine the Toffees.