Tottenham line up £20m-rated England U21 star in first transfer since sacking Ange Postecoglou
ENGLAND UNDER-21 star Hayden Hackney is on managerless Tottenham's transfer radar.
The Middlesbrough midfielder, 22, looks set to leave his boyhood club after their failure to win Championship promotion.
The £20m-rated ace has already proven he can cut it against the big boys of the Premier League with stand-out cup displays against both Chelsea and Aston Villa last season.
Now he hopes to catch the eye at this month's U21 European Championship in Slovakia.
A host of clubs have been monitoring Hackney for several months, including Portuguese giants Porto who had a measly £9m bid rejected in January.
German side Stuttgart are also keen as are Crystal Palace, but Sun Sport understands that Spurs' scouts have also been running the rule over Hackney.
Tottenham talent spotters will also be out in Slovakia to watch the action closely and, if Hackney shines for Lee Carsley's side, they could give the green light for the club move despite not yet appointing a replacement for axed Ange Postecoglou.
Middlesbrough are in no rush to sell their home-grown star and could even squeeze a couple more million onto his price tag depending on how he performs at the Euros.
They are also searching for a new manager in their own right following the decision to axe Michael Carrick on Wednesday.
And despite still having some money in the bank from selling Emmanuel Latte Lath in January, cashing in on Hackney would help them add to any incoming coach's transfer kitty.
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England kick-off their Euro campaign against the Czech Republic on Thursday.
They then face Slovenia three days later and finish the group stage against Germany on Wednesday 18 June.
All of England's matches are being broadcast live on Channel 4.
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