Everton have finally made a breakthrough in their pursuit of Hayden Hackney.
Hackney is set to become the first signing of the summer transfer window at Hill Dickinson Stadium after a deal was brokered with Middlesbrough.
The midfielder made the Blues his preferred destination with 12 months remaining on his Riverside contract despite growing Premier League interest.
Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Tottenham were among the clubs vying with David Moyes’ side for the Championship’s Player of the Season.
However Everton have won the race for Hackney with a package worth an intiial £16.5M that could rise to £25M overall with potential add-on clauses.
The 24-year-old produced six goals and eight assists for Boro last term as they narrowly missed out on a top-flight return by losing the play-off final.