Middlesbrough transfer news as West Ham and Ipswich Town 'make contact' to sign Latte Lath
Middlesbrough could have a job on their hands keeping hold of star man Emmanuel Latte Lath with the January transfer window fast approaching.
Italian publication TuttoMercatoWeb states Premier League clubs West Ham United and Ipswich Town are interested in signing the Ivory Coast international going into 2025. The Tractor Boys tried to sign Boro's star man in the summer, seeing a £20m bid rejected for the talented forward, while the Hammers reportedly sent a scout to watch Latte Lath in action against Oxford United last month.
The TuttoMercatoWeb report adds that West Ham and Ipswich have "requested information about" Latte Lath and there will be "developments in the coming weeks". MLS outfit Atlanta United FC and unnamed Bundesliga clubs are also believed to be big admirers of the player.
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Latte Lath’s agent Matthias Veneroso suggested the 25-year-old could move on in the New Year. In an interview with TuttoMercatoWeb, Veneroso was quoted as saying: “He’s back to scoring. Eight goals in the first part of the season and we expect something to happen in January. He is a striker, and strikers are always the subject of attention in the January transfer window."
Latte Lath was the matchwinner in Saturday's hard-fought win over Millwall, scoring his eighth goal of the campaign. He found the back of the net on 18 occasions last term as Boro missed out on a top-six finish.
It is thought it would take a sizeable offer for Middlesbrough to even consider selling one of their prized assets. Latte Lath is contracted to the Teesside club until 2027, with an option for a further 12 months.
Veneroso had previously told this publication that Latte Lath was fully focused on Boro's promotion tilt. "Everything is okay and now his mind is 100 per cent focused on Middlesbrough - that’s always been the case, but of course, there was a time where there was a lot going on his head," said Veneroso last month. "He is human and it’s normal. The player is happy and, we hope, coming back to his level. He’s scoring goals, and he’s helping the team.
"We will not be pushing for anything or forcing anyone. Emmanuel is just focused on Middlesbrough and helping the team achieve their goals. We know football - he is a striker and if he scores more goals, it could be that he is interesting for clubs everywhere. But this is not something that we are predicting and we won’t push for.
"As was the case in the summer, everything will be in line with the club and we will find solutions for anything that might come up with the club that works out for the best of the club. The goal at the beginning of the season for the club was to fight to go up to the Premier League and this remains a possibility right now. That is the only focus for everyone right now. In this moment, I think the club really want to be promoted and really want to keep all the best players that they have.”