Middlesbrough are not believed to have accepted any proposals for Emmanuel Latte Lath, despite Atlanta United becoming the first team to make a formal approach for the striker over the weekend.
According to Teesside Live, there has been no change in the Ivorian’s Boro status as of Monday morning. Negotiations for a deal with the MLS team are still underway. The MLS made the first official bid for Latte Lath, which is estimated to be worth £20 million with add-ons. The MLS team is also said to be promising ‘a hefty wage’ for the 25-year-old, which would necessitate serious consideration for the player.
Boro turned down a similar offer from Ipswich Town on transfer deadline day, citing a lack of time to locate a replacement rather than the low offer.
With Latte Lath adding ten goals to his Boro tally this season and leading the club’s goalscoring charts, it was always expected that Boro would have to take any offers over £20 million seriously – with the latest financial accounts released last week showing another loss of over £12 million, revealing the club’s difficult financial situation.
As talks with Atlanta continue over their offer, which would set a new MLS transfer record, one of the other clubs rumoured to be interested is now actively looking for a new striker after suffering an injury over the weekend. And, while the best-case scenario for Boro this month is to maintain Latte Lath for their promotion push, if an exit is unavoidable, a bidding war would benefit them.
Niclas Fullkrug, West Ham’s striker, suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday and is expected to miss three months. Michail Antonio is also sidelined for the long term following a horrific automobile accident last month. New manager Graham Potter said that the club would have to work hard to find a new centre-forward this month.
Potter stated, “I need to analyse the injuries, assess where we are, and think about everyone involved. We’ll see if we can find somebody who can help us. If those [players] are out, we will have to consider [buying a striker].
West Ham are not believed to have expressed any official interest in Latte Lath with Boro. They’ve also been linked with Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, whom Potter gave his debut to, although the Ireland international is presently injured. Lille’s Jonathan David has also been suggested, but he is available for free this summer as things stand.
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