Tottenham Hotspur 'set to rival Manchester United, Liverpool for Hayden Hackney'

The 21-year-old joined Boro's academy at under-10s level and worked his way through the club's youth ranks before making his senior debut in January 2021.

Hackney has since made 63 first-team appearances for Michael Carrick's side across all competitions, including 21 starts, primarily as a defensive midfielder, in the Championship this season.

The Redcar-born youngster scored his second goal of the season and his first in the EFL Cup to help Boro claim a slender 1-0 home victory over Chelsea in the first leg of their semi-final clash on Tuesday.

Hackney is not only rated highly at Middlesbrough, as he has also earned five international caps for England's Under-21s, including his debut in September.

The midfielder is under contract at the Riverside Stadium until the summer of 2027, but several top English clubs are understood to be closely monitoring his development at Boro, sparking speculation over a possible exit in the near future.

Man United, Liverpool and Manchester City have all been credited with an interest in Hackney, and the Evening Standard claims that Tottenham are the latest club to join the race for his signature.

The report adds that Middlesbrough are braced for offers next summer for Hackney, but they have warned potential suitors that they will only sell the midfielder in January if they receive a 'sensational' bid.

It is understood that clubs such as Spurs, Man City and Liverpool could swoop for Hackney as they may struggle to meet their homegrown player quota in UEFA competitions next season.

Teams must have at least eight players trained by clubs from the same national league, including four from their own youth system, meaning England's top side are scouting the market for young talent such as Hackney.

Despite interest from the Premier League, it is thought that Hackney would prefer to stay at Middlesbrough until the end of the current campaign before assessing his options in the summer.

While Spurs are set to put their pursuit of Hackney on hold for the time being, Ange Postecoglou is working hard to bolster his squad in other areas, with forward Timo Werner the first name to move to North London on an initial loan deal from RB Leipzig until the end of the season, with an option to buy next summer.

Tottenham are also closing in on the addition of Genoa defender Radu Dragusin, with a recent report claiming that they have reached a full agreement to sign the Romanian for €25m (£21.5m) plus add-ons.