MIDDLESBROUGH striker Emmanuel Latte Lath has completed his move to Atlanta United.

The Ivorian has signed a four-year deal with the MLS side, who have the option of an extra year.

Boro and Atlanta agreed an MLS record-breaking £22.5m deal last week. The move was finalised over the weekend and has now been confirmed.

Chris Henderson, Atlanta United's chief soccer officer and sporting director, said “He’s a forward with excellent pace and good goal-scoring instincts

“His ability to stretch the field will add another dimension to our attack.

“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."

Latte Lath will link up with former Newcastle winger Miguel Almiron at Atlanta, with the Paraguayan having rejoined his former club last week.

Both are designated players in the Atlanta squad, which means their salary is allowed to exceed the maximum cap. Latte Lath is understood to have been offered a huge salary increase at Atlanta.

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The MLS club made their first offer for the striker early in the January window. Several Premier League clubs, and other clubs in Europe, had been monitoring Latte Lath's situation but didn't rival Atlanta's bid.

The deal was then finalised last week, with Boro making a huge profit on the striker, who they bought for around £4m in the summer of 2023.

Latte Lath scored 29 goals in 67 appearances on Teesside.

In a statement, Boro said: "Manu departs with the best wishes of everyone at MFC and we wish him well for the future."

He's been replaced at the Riverside by Kelechi Iheanacho, who joined on loan from Sevilla until the end of the season. The former Leicester and Manchester City striker was introduced to the fans ahead of Monday's game against Sunderland.

Boss Michael Carrick said he was delighted to land the Nigerian international, who is looking to get his career back on track at the Riverside. Boro now have until the end of the season to plan for and assess their longer term striker plan, with the summer bringing clarity on what division they'll be playing in next season.