Numbers add up for Hackney - but could that equal bad news for Boro?

MIDDLESBROUGH would love to keep Hayden Hackney at the club this summer, and no doubt there will be discussions to make that a reality.

- By CRAIG JOHNS

The Redcar-raised midfield star is a boyhood Boro fan and has made clear that his dream is to earn promotion with the club.

Boro will hope to utilise that dream in their discussions to convince Hackney to stay this summer, with the 22-year-old still having plenty of time on his hands to make a progressive move in the future should Boro fail to meet Hackney's top-flight ambitions.

But, with just two years remaining on his current deal, Boro will be braced to receive more offers for the Teessider this summer, having turned down two offers from Porto in the January window. There is interest in the England under-21 international from top Premier League clubs as well as others on the continent like the Portuguese giants.