Everton ahead of the curve as reality of Hayden Hackney bargain emerges

Everton have confirmed the arrival of Hayden Hackney on a five-year contract.

The midfielder is the first new arrival for Everton, with Merlin Rohl already taking the crown as the first permanent deal this summer, following the activation of his obligatory buy clause.

The Blues held lenghty negotiations for the Middlesbrough man but eventually managed to find a compromise.

Everton will pay a guaranteed fee of £16.5million, with potential add-ons taking it to £25m linked to appearances, England selection and whether Everton qualify for Europe.

On the surface, paying just a guaranteed fee of £16.5m is quite a bargain for a player who won Championship Player of the Year,

But, the true extent of the deal Everton may have landed themselves has emerged amid the Blues' opinion of the midfielder.

How much of a bargain could Hayden Hackney turn out to be?

Hackney could turn out to be one of the pound-for-pound best signings of the summer

At £16.5m, little can truly go wrong for a player of the 24-year-old's quality and Everton have seemingly landed themselves quite a bargain.

According to The Athletic, Everton believe that Hackney's data is very similair to that of both Adam Wharton and Alex Scott.

When it comes to those two English midfielders, they have been quoted by their clubs as valued at close to £80m.

TalkSPORT shared in April that it was the tag placed by Crystal Palace on their highly rated 22-year-old.

Meanwhile, the same outlet suggested the same price for Scott at the beginning of June.

So, if Everton are correct, they have landed themselves an £80m-rated midfielder for quite the cut price.

While others may scramble for the signatures of Scott and Wharton, Everton have got themselves a £55m bargain.

The Toffees are ahead of the curve.

What is next for Everton in the transfer window?

Next up for the Blues is likely the arrival of Tyrique George on a permanent transfer.

The Toffees are in negotiations with Chelsea over a restructured agreement to bring him back to Hill Dickinson.

Everton did not want to pay the previously agreed clause inserted into George's loan deal but seen enough to want him back in L3.

Following that, attentions must certainly turn to a new right-back arrival, while Everton also await to hear the likelihood of bringing back Jack Grealish.

Similalry to George, Everton were unwilling to pay the £50m option to buy clause inserted into his loan deal.

It is undoubtedly set for a busy summer for David Moyes' side.