---
title: "Crystal Palace Hayden Hackney Transfer Blow After Everton Agree £25m Deal"
canonical: "https://readcrystalpalace.com/2026/06/29/crystal-palace-hayden-hackney-everton-transfer-reset/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
section: "Crystal Palace Transfer News"
published: "2026-06-29T21:00:00Z"
modified: "2026-06-29T21:00:00Z"
---

# Crystal Palace Hayden Hackney Transfer Blow After Everton Agree £25m Deal

**Crystal Palace have been forced into a midfield transfer reset after Everton reportedly agreed a deal worth up to £25m for Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney.**

[talkSPORT reports](https://talksport.com/football/4375217/everton-transfer-hayden-hackney-middlesbrough/) that Everton have reached an agreement with Boro for the 24-year-old, despite interest from Palace, Tottenham and Hull City. [The Times adds](https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/hayden-hackney-everton-make-final-offer-worth-up-to-25m-for-midfielder-tqs3g0p9c) that the package is structured as £16.5m up front, plus £8m in performance-related add-ons.

The development matters because Hackney had looked a clean stylistic fit for Pierre Sage’s first Palace window. He is Championship-tested, technically secure and able to carry possession through central pressure.

Palace have already been weighing midfield alternatives, with the club’s earlier Hackney interest forming part of a wider search to sharpen the engine room around Adam Wharton, Jefferson Lerma and Cheick Doucoure.

> 🚨🔵 Hayden Hackney to Everton, deal sealed between all parties and signature to follow this week.\
> \
> Hackney accept all terms of [#EFC](https://x.com/hashtag/EFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) contract proposal, wanted by David Moyes.\
> \
> Initial £16.5m to Middlesbrough plus £8m add-ons, as [@\_pauljoyce](https://x.com/_pauljoyce?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [@elbobble](https://x.com/ElBobble?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) reported.\
> \
> Here we go. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 [pic.twitter.com/8h7YxkuoW8](https://t.co/8h7YxkuoW8)
>
> — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) [June 29, 2026](https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2071639125891977525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

## Pierre Sage Must Move Quickly

Missing out would not be a disaster in isolation, but it does tighten the clock.

Sage needs at least one midfielder capable of absorbing Premier League tempo and European workload, particularly with Palace preparing for a busier 2026/27 calendar.

Hackney’s appeal was partly that he sat between categories. He was not a raw punt, but he was not a short-term stop-gap either. That is exactly the kind of profile Palace need to find again quickly.

Read Crystal Palace has already looked at how the [Shea Charles race gives Sage a live midfield-market test](https://readcrystalpalace.com/2026/06/29/crystal-palace-shea-charles-leeds-southampton-transfer/), and Everton’s move for Hackney makes that search more urgent.

The focus now shifts to whether Palace accelerate another target or revisit a more internal solution, including David Ozoh’s pathway.

Everton appear to have moved decisively. Palace cannot afford to let the next midfield race drift the same way.