Everton have completed the signing of Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough for an initial £16.5m.The deal for the midfielder could rise to just under £25m if all clauses, which are based on appearances, England selection and Everton’s qualification for European competition, are met.Middlesbrough also have a sell-on, based on future profit, as part of the move. He has signed a five-year deal.Everton have courted Hackney, the 2025-26 Championship player of the season, for a number of years. They considered a move last summer, before signing Merlin Rohl on an initial loan from Freiburg.Everton staved off significant Premier League interest to sign the 24-year-old. The Athletic reported last month that his preference was to join Everton, and a deal was agreed early this week after protracted, month-long talks between the two clubs.“I’m delighted to be here,” Hackney told Everton TV. “As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton. It’s such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it’s going in. I just wanted to be part of that.“The manager’s track record of bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League was a massive part of my decision as well. Hopefully, I can be the next one to do it successfully for Everton. It feels like a good fit for me, for sure. I think it’s a given that you work hard, you run, you make tackles. I’ll be doing that.“I think fans can expect a bit of everything from me – attacking and defensively. I think I can carry the ball well, arrive late in the box, and hopefully score some goals. I think there’s plenty more to come from me. Obviously, I haven’t played in the Premier League yet, so once I get used to that I think I can kick on from there.”Moyes has been keen to strengthen his midfield options this summer. Everton have also confirmed the permanent signing of Rohl, after his obligation to buy was triggered when the Merseyside club secured their Premier League status for another season.But with Idrissa Gueye’s contract having expired and uncertainty over the future of Tim Iroegbunam, there was always a sense Everton would need at least one midfield addition this summer. A move for another is likely should one of Gueye or Iroegbunam depart, with talks expected over the former’s future in the coming weeks.“Hayden is a promising young player who we’ve been tracking for some time, and I’m looking forward to working with him,” Moyes said.“We’ve had a track record over the years of identifying players in the Championship who have gone on to do really well for us and been good investments. We hope that will be the case with Hayden, too.“He’s an England Under-21 international who will provide greater competition in midfield, which is something I wanted going into the new season.”The Athletic revealed earlier this week that Everton and Chelsea are also in talks over a permanent deal for loanee Tyrique George after the Merseyside club decided not to trigger his £25m purchase option.Jul 2, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms