Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath has been linked to several clubs during the January transfer window.
However, an MLS club has thrown their hat into the ring with a massive bid.
MLS side, Atlanta United, has been investigating different striker options throughout the month as they believe they need a dynamic number nine option.
Their newest fancy seems to be Emmanuel Latte Lath of Middlesbrough. Several English clubs such as Ipswich, West Ham, and Leeds United have expressed interest in the Ivory Coast international, but none have formally submitted a bid.
According to Sky Sports, Tom Bogert, and Dominic Shaw, the bid would be an MLS record transfer fee. Currently, the bid is reportedly somewhere around £20 million including add-ons and incentives.
Reportedly, this is the first formal bid for the talented striker and could trigger a flood of bids to come in.
How Would a Latte Lath Exit Impact Middlesbrough?
Emmanuel Latte Lath currently is third in the Championship with ten goals. When he is in form, the Ivorian has the pace, skill, and finishing to immensely trouble any back line.
He and Tommy Conway have made one of the best pair of strikers in the Championship and have showed they are unstoppable.
Unfortunately, Conway is currently injured, and an exit by Latte Lath would leave a huge hole in the Middlesbrough attack.
While Tommy Conway is a great striker and has scored a fair amount of goals himself this season, he needs a partner striker that can bounce off him and keep the competitive fire under him.
Middlesbrough have already sold Isaiah Jones this past week, so selling another attacking option, especially one that feels like the main threat for a playoff-chasing team, feels like a mistake unless the club has other good options in mind they could swoop in and integrate into the club.
Is Latte Lath the Number Nine Atlanta United Need?
After Atlanta United won MLS Cup in 2018, they have not been able to find consistent success.
Their talismen, Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron, both have left the club. Almiron joined Newcastle United in the 2019 January transfer window, and Martinez joined Inter Miami during the 2023 January transfer window.
Since Martinez left, the Five Stripes has not found a striker option that has been consistent. Emmanuel Latte Lath would be the perfect option for the MLS club.
The fact that Atlanta United is willing to pay out a record transfer fee shows how convinced they are that Latte Lath would be the perfect solution for their attack.
The previous record MLS transfer was $16.5 million for Kevin Denkey by FC Cincinnati. Latte Lsth’s pace, energy, and skills would absolutely tear up MLS and could easily propel Atlanta to contender status in the league.
This could be just the start of quite a transfer saga surrounding Latte Lath. Obviously, Middlesbrough want Latte Lath to stay, but a massive bid like the one Atlanta United has presented is definitely tempting.
A move like this would show that Atlanta United wants to try and once again contend for championships.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough have dreams of the Premier League. This could go all the way to Deadline Day and is definitely one to watch.