Tottenham include Middlesbrough duo on transfer window long list
TOTTENHAM have included Middlesbrough duo Rav van den Berg and Hayden Hackney on a long list of potential summer signings.
Spurs officials have been assessing their options ahead of the reopening of the transfer window, with Ange Postecoglou determined to strengthen a squad that finished in fifth position last season and will be competing in the Europa League next term.
Both van den Berg and Hackney are understood to feature on a list of potential targets, with the Tottenham hierarchy keen to make the recruitment of promising youngsters with development potential a key part of their transfer approach.
The Premier League clubâs interest in Hackney is a long-standing one, with Spurs having scouted the midfielder extensively during his breakthrough season in 2022-23.
They continued to monitor Hackney closely in the first half of last season, and were linked with a possible bid for the 21-year-old during the January transfer window.
That failed to materialise, but Spursâ interest in the England Under-21 international remains intact and the fact that Hackney missed much of the second half of the season through injury will not affect the London clubâs thinking this summer.
Their interest in van den Berg is much more recent, with the teenage defender only having joined Boro from NEC Zwolle last summer.
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Van den Berg blossomed in the second half of the season, showcasing his defensive versatility by playing at both centre-half and right-back, and he is understood to have been the subject of some glowing scouting reports at Spurs.
As a result, Postecoglou and the rest of Tottenhamâs recruitment team are considering a formal offer for the 19-year-old, even though he is contracted to the Riverside until the summer of 2027.
The Boro hierarchy do not want to lose either van den Berg or Hackney this summer, but as was proved with Aston Villaâs successful pursuit of Morgan Rogers, the reality for any Championship club without the assistance of parachute payment is that any player has their price.
Rogers was bought for around ÂŁ1m last summer and sold six months later in a deal that could eventually be worth up to ÂŁ15m.
Van den Berg is aware of the mounting speculation surrounding him, and while he insisted in a recent interview that he does not want to move this summer, he also accepted that transfer deals can sometimes take on a life of their own.
âI donât feel I have any reason to leave here,â said van den Berg. âBut you never know in football, is the only thing I can say. Itâs not always fully the playerâs decision.
âI am really happy right now, and we will see what the summer brings. Iâm really at home here, the dressing room is a really close place to be, which is really important.â