Everton remain in talks for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and are prepared to pay around £20m, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Toffees have already seen two bids rejected as Middlesbrough hold out for £25million for their highly-rated midfielder.

Although Everton are considered frontrunners, Crystal Palace are expected to make an offer in the coming days as they try and persuade the 23-year-old to join the Selhurst Park club instead.

Two other teams are also interested in signing Hackney this summer

Tottenham and Manchester United also have Hackney on their radar, but neither have yet decided to make their move as they prioritise other targets. Both clubs could go head-to-head for Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, who is also appreciated by Liverpool and has other English clubs starting to make initial enquiries as well.

GMS understands that Hackney is currently prioritising Everton, but Crystal Palace can also offer him game time and his pathway to regular starts will be made easier if one or both of Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada depart.

Middlesbrough wish to keep Hackney, but that has been complicated by their failure to win promotion to the Premier League. The 23-year-old started 38 of Boro’s 46 Championship games this season, missing the last eight of the campaign and all but 20 minutes of the play-off final, due to injury.

Everton open talks over new deal for star man

Former Man Utd and Leeds midfielder Godon Strachan said of Hackney: “He’s been absolutely brilliant. He takes your breath away when you watch him and he’s matured in his play. People will ask if he’s for sale and really, everyone is for sale.”

Elsewhere, Everton are in talks with Iliman Ndiaye over a new deal. The France-born Senegal international is already contracted until 2029, but the club wants to offer improved terms.

There has been no breakthrough as of now, but Everton are still in talks and hoping to fend off interest from growing interest, including from Manchester United.

Ndiaye, who has been described as ‘one of the most exciting attackers in the Premier League’, enjoyed a fine season with the Toffees in the most recent campaign, registering six goals and three assists as they finished in mid-table. It has previously been reported that Old Trafford would be his ‘dream move’.

Tottenham‘s best piece of business this summer may not involve a new signing. Spurs are in for a busy off-season, with Roberto De Zerbi intent on overhauling a squad that has finished in the bottom half for two successive campaigns.

The Spurs board has vowed to a third season in the doldrums, and they know it’s going to take significant investment to turn things around. There has been investment during that two-year run, with Dominic Solanke and Xavi Simons among the pricey signings, but the results only further highlight the need to improve recruitment as well as investment levels.

Part of that recruitment strategy must include keeping hold of the club’s best players, and there is some good news for Spurs fans on that front.

Spurs aware of double departure danger

Tottenham are bracing themselves to lose Cristian Romero this summer, with the Argentine almost certain to leave North London. Romero has repeatedly called out the club over how things are being run, and while he has continued to be an exemplary leader on the pitch, it’s clear he is ready to move on.

With Marcos Senesi and another likely signing at centre-back, Spurs are prepared for Romero to leave, even though it is unlikely to happen until his World Cup campaign comes to an end.

But what Tottenham cannot afford is to lose their other starting centre-back in Micky van de Ven. The Dutchman has been one of the club’s best players for some time, and while he has had some troubling muscular injury issues, there is no doubting that he is a player to build a defence around.

Former Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou highlighted Van de Ven’s star quality, once saying: “He’s top. He could be as good as he wants to. You watch him at the World Cup, I reckon they’ll play him at left back and he’ll be unbelievable. Once he gets going, technically he’s good, his ability to cover ground is phenomenal. You’d set him up against any striker in the world, without any fear that he will get outmuscled and definitely not outrun.”

Spurs move to hand out new deal to van de Ven

Well aware of the danger of losing Van de Ven, who has been linked with clubs like Real Madrid in the past, Spurs are now said to be plotting a new contract for Van de Ven to keep him locked down.

Ben Jacobs reported on the Market Madness podcast: “Jan Paul van Hecke is a key priority, and that’s a clue in many ways that Cristian Romero is still expected to depart. Micky van de Ven, I think there’s a strong chance he’ll stay at Tottenham and sign a new deal, despite interest, because he’s really enjoying life under Roberto De Zerbi, and obviously Tottenham don’t want to lose both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero in the same window.”

That will be music to the ears of Tottenham fans, who will see Van de Ven as a player they simply cannot afford to lose. The Dutchman is under contract until 2029 already, but Spurs will likely look to add a year or two to that in exchange for a nice pay top-up.

The 2026 World Cup is finally here and, for the first time ever, 48 teams will compete at the showpiece international tournament.

More than 3.5 million spectators attended the 1994 World Cup in the United States – a record that still stands 32 years and seven World Cups later.

That record is finally set to be broken this summer as fans from across the world pay eye-watering sums of money to see their teams live in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Billions more will watch the action unfold at home, cheering on their teams while watching on TV.

2026 World Cup Fans Ranked

Ken Blaze via Reuters

But who are the best supporters at the tournament? Grok AI has ranked every nation’s fanbase from 48th place to 1st.

“This subjective list focuses on passion, loyalty, atmosphere (chants/tifo/noise), travel support, and overall reputation,” Grok explains. “It draws from historical World Cup behaviour, ultras culture, and fan engagement patterns.”

It adds: “This is for entertainment – every nation brings proud supporters, and actual 2026 atmospheres will vary by results, venues (North American hosts favor CONMEBOL/CONCACAF travel), and local turnout. African and South American fans frequently create the most memorable vibes; European fans dominate in sheer organisation and scale. Enjoy the tournament!”

Lower Volume but Present Passion (48th-40th)

Siphiwe Sibeko via Reuters

Let’s start with the teams at the bottom of the list, then. We’ve got most of the so-called tournament ‘minnows’ in this section including Cape Verde, Qatar, Curacao and Haiti, who were ordered by FIFA to change their kit design on the eve of the tournament. Joint tournament hosts Canada are there, too.

With smaller fanbases, it’s perhaps no real surprise that these countries find themselves in the bottom section. But they’ll all be aiming to punch above their weight over the coming weeks and months.

Good/Respectable (39th-31st)

Siphiwe Sibeko via Reuters

Next we have some of the bigger guns including Sweden, Norway and Belgium fans. DR Congo, competing in the first World Cup since 1974, are above them all in 31st place, with Grok praising their “energetic” fanbase.

Very Good to Solid (30th-16th)

Susana Vera via Reuters

Next we have 15 national team fanbases in the ‘very good to solid’ category, including tournament hosts United States. Iran are above most of the teams in this category, with their supporters described as “intense, loud and deeply committed”.

Spain and Portugal are also in this category, as are the fans of several African teams including Ghana, Ivory Coast and Tunisia.

Strong Passion & Support (15th-6th)

Diego Vara via Reuters

Joint tournament hosts Mexico clinch sixth place, followed by South American duo Colombia and Uruguay.

Scotland fans are in 10th place, just behind the Germans. Just outside the top 10 are the supporters of three African nations (Senegal, Egypt and Algeria), and two from Europe (Netherlands and France).

Top Tier – Elite Passion & Atmosphere (5th to 1st)

Maria Lysaker via Reuters

And finally, we have the creme de la creme of fanbases at the 2026 World Cup finals.

Morocco are the highest-ranked African fanbase in 5th place, just behind England, who narrowly miss out on a place on the podium.

Third place goes to Turkey, second to Brazil, and the number one spot goes to the Argentines – who provided incredible support for Lionel Messi and co. in Qatar four years ago.