Atlanta United announced the splash signing of speedy Ivory Coast striker Emmanuel Latte Lath on Tuesday.

Atlanta reportedly paid an MLS-record $22m transfer fee to Middlesbrough, breaking the mark of $16.2m that FC Cincinnati spent in November to acquire forward Kevin Denkey from Belgium’s Cercle Brugge.

Latte Lath, 26, is signed through the 2028 MLS season with an option for 2029 and will occupy a designated player spot.

“He’s a forward with excellent pace and good goalscoring instincts,” Atlanta sporting director Chris Henderson said. “His ability to stretch the field will add another dimension to our attack.”

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The transfer is the second major addition by Atlanta United this offseason, with Miguel Almirón returning to the club from Newcastle United for a reported fee of around $10m. Almirón previously played for Atlanta from their inaugural season in 2017 through 2019, during which time the club won the 2018 MLS Cup.

Between the two deals, Atlanta United now own the MLS record fee paid for a player as well as the league record initial fee received – Almirón’s transfer to Newcastle United for a reported fee of around $27m in 2019. That was the largest overall outgoing transfer in MLS history until very recently. Aston Villa’s fee paid to the Chicago Fire for Colombian striker Jhon Duran just recently surpassed that mark thanks to Duran hitting performance benchmarks during his time at Villa and a sell-on percentage after his recent $79m move to Saudi Arabia.

Latte Lath scored 29 goals in 67 matches for Middlesbrough from 2023-25, including a team-high 11 goals during the current campaign. He launched his pro career with Italy’s Atalanta as a 17-year-old in 2016.

“At 26 years old, he’s entering the prime years of his career and has already shown his goal-scoring ability in multiple leagues in Europe,” Henderson said.

The Five Stripes open the 2025 MLS regular season on 22 February at home against CF Montreal.