Ipswich Town plot late move for 18-goal Middlesbrough striker | OneFootball

Emmanuel Latte Lath is wanted by the Tractor Boys

Ipswich Town are reportedly planning a late swoop for Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath as boss Kieran McKenna looks to bolster his strikeforce ahead of a tough Premier League season.

The Daily Mail has reported that the Tractor Boys are eyeing a move for the Ivorian frontman, and he has been pinpointed by the club as a potential alternative to Chelsea's Armando Broja, after his move to Portman Road collapsed.

Latte Lath joined Boro last summer on a four-year deal from Serie A side Atalanta, and enjoyed a fruitful debut season in English football under Michael Carrick as he netted 18 goals in 36 games in all competitions.

Boro will not want to part ways with their 25-year-old star striker so soon, so it is likely to take a sizeable bid to prise him from the Riverside Stadium this late in the transfer window.

Latte Lath has been a hit for Boro

After Latte Lath's arrival last August for a fee believed to be around £4.2m, many Middlesbrough fans may have been skeptical about their club's business for a player that had only ever shone in the Swiss Super League for St. Gallen, but that doubt has been unquestionably quashed as the months have passed since he joined.

The Ivorian took to life in the Championship relatively slowly, with just two strikes in his first 12 league games, and just two more before the beginning of March, but the back end of the season saw him turn on the style and become a key player in Carrick's side.

The 25-year-old bagged 11 goals in his final 12 games of the 2023/24 campaign, and won April's Championship Player of the Month award as Boro went close to the play-offs, but it was not enough as they finished eighth, and his impressive form has unsurprisingly alerted teams with a higher standing than the Riverside club this summer.

Boro will not want to sell Latte Lath now

What may have come as a surprise, though, is the last-minute interest in Latte Lath, with both Boro and Ipswich's campaigns fully underway and the deadline edging ever closer.

At this point in the window, they cannot afford to lose such a key player, with very little time to replace him and other exits likely to be sanctioned in his position.

Young forward Josh Coburn is set to leave North Yorkshire on loan with Millwall and Preston both linked, and so Carrick certainly will not want two of his forwards gone in quick succession.

A potential deal for Latte Lath and Ipswich could likely hinge on Boro moving for Leicester striker Tom Cannon as his replacement, but the wheels would have to be put in motion over that deal as soon as possible for it to happen before the deadline.