Middlesbrough said to be in four horse race to sign Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden
Hayden is out of favour at St James’ Park but would add a wealth of experience in midfield
Middlesbrough are one of four Championship clubs in the race to sign Newcastle United’s out of favour midfielder Isaac Hayden.
That’s according to Football Insider, who claim Boro are joined by Millwall, QPR and West Bromwich Albion in registering an interest in the former England under-21 international.
Hayden still has three years remaining on his contract at St James’ Park but has been deemed surplus to requirements by Eddie Howe and is free to find a new club this summer.
As such, Boro are said to be keen on signing the 28-year-old, who has a wealth of Premier League and Championship experience under his belt.
Hayden made 118 Premier League appearances across five seasons for the Magpies and also has two Championship promotions on his CV, helping Newcastle to win the Championship title in 2016/17, as well as winning the play-offs with Hull City during a season long loan spell in 2015/16.
The Arsenal academy graduate spent last season on loan with fellow Championship side Norwich City but injuries hampered his progress. But now back fit, he is training away from Newcastle’s first team as he looks to secure a summer move away from Tyneside.
Boro have made nine signings already this summer but have signed no outfield player over the age of 24. Hayden would add proven Championship experience and promotion knowhow to a young squad, as Michael Carrick’s men look to get their season back on track after failing to win any of their opening three league matches this term.
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Middlesbrough have a transfer plan for final weeks of the window as Michael Carrick stays calm
Middlesbrough won’t be rushed into making panic buys with less than two weeks of the summer transfer window remaining.
The Teessiders have made nine signings already this summer, with Emmanuel Latte Lath and Lukas Engel joining the club this week. They follow the likes of Sam Silvera, Seny Dieng and Morgan Rogers to Teesside, with Boro thought to want more attacking options before the September 1 deadline.
Boro’s coffers have been boosted by the £12.2m sale of Chuba Akpom to Ajax but that, coupled with Cameron Archer’s return to Aston Villa, has left a goalscoring void to address. Latte Lath could go a long way to answering those questions, with the Ivory Coast forward having impressed on loan with Swiss side St Gallen last season, and finding the net regularly for Atalanta in pre-season before his Riverside switch.
READ MORE: Middlesbrough must ‘find a way’ of replacing Chuba Akpom goals
But while manager Michael Carrick knows where he wants to strengthen, he understands some deals take longer than other to get over the line, and he won’t be panicked into any rash deals.
“I’ve said all along that we’re always looking to improve,” he said ahead of today’s game with Huddersfield Town. “We’ve go a plan that we’re working towards – sometimes it falls into place quicker than other but that’s the transfer window and the crazy time of year that it is.READ NEXT:
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