However, at this stage, it remains unclear whether Hackney will opt for a move to Ipswich or remain on Teessider to consider his options for the remainder of the transfer window.
Boro have accepted a total package worth around £20m from Ipswich, with the vast majority of the fee being paid up front, which was a key part of the negotiations that have been ongoing for a couple of weeks.
Cashing in on Hackney will enable the Teessiders to unlock a number of the key incoming deals they have also been working on this month, with a move for a new forward a priority.
A deal for a forward that would involve a significant payment is understood to be at a reasonably advanced stage, and Boro’s recruitment team would hope to make rapid progress on that proposed transfer if Hackney’s departure is confirmed. Talks over a potential deal for free agent Danny Ings also remain ongoing.
The Teessiders are also hoping to further strengthen their defence, particularly at full-back, and midfield following the arrival of Alfie Jones and Abdoulaye Kante in the last seven days.
Ipswich are hoping to sign Hackney to help replace former Boro midfielder, Sam Morsy, who completed a move to Kuwait FC earlier this month.
However, while Hackney is expected to hold talks with senior officials at Portman Road, there remains a degree of uncertainty over whether he will agree to a move to another Championship club.
There have been suggestions that Ipswich are willing to offer £35,000-a-week in wages, which would represent a significant increase on the 23-year-old’s current terms on Teesside.
However, Hackney was being heavily linked with Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham ahead of the opening of the transfer window, and was the subject of an unsuccessful bid from Portuguese club Porto in the January transfer window.
Having been a key part of the England Under-21 squad that triumphed at the European Under-21s Championships in Slovakia earlier this summer, the midfielder might well feel he has earned the right to play at a higher level than the Championship.
At this stage, though, Ipswich are the only club to have tabled a formal bid for him this summer, hence Boro’s reluctant decision to accept the Suffolk club’s offer once they improved the payment terms of what they were offering.
The next few days should prove instructive, with Hackney not expected to be involved in this evening’s friendly at Hartlepool United. The Redcar-born academy product missed Saturday’s friendly draw at Rangers because of an ongoing knee issue.
Rav van den Berg’s future also remains uncertain, with Boro having rejected two offers from Dutch club Feyenoord this summer.
German side FC Koln have also expressed an interest in signing van den Berg, but the figures they have been suggesting are understood to be below what Boro turned down from Feyenoord. Unless that changes, there is no prospect of a deal being agreed for the centre-half.
