Ipswich Town reveal offers Middlesbrough hope but West Ham & Leicester threat lingers | OneFootball

Boro striker Emmanuel Latte Lath has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League this month...

Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath appears to be a striker in high-demand this month, with reported Premier League interest from Ipswich Town and West Ham United refusing to go away.

The Ivorian international has been a Riverside Stadium revelation since joining Boro from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of slightly above £4m.

18 goals in all competitions during his debut campaign on Teesside last term has been followed up with another bundle of goals during the first half of the current season, and that has only served to stoke the fires of a big-money move away from the North East even further.

West Ham United, Ipswich Town and Leicester City are three Premier League sides who have all been linked with the 26-year-old in recent times, with the Foxes having been reported as closing in on a £12m deal for the centre-forward.

That was swiftly dismissed by The Northern Echo, with no such contact between the two clubs having been made, and should Boro's number nine be on the move this month, it would require a significantly larger fee than that.

Ipswich Town revelation will give Middlesbrough hope of retaining the services of Emmanuel Latte Lath

Ipswich Town have been involved in the Latte Lath sweepstakes since the summer, as Kieran McKenna looked to bolster his attacking options for The Tractor Boys' Premier League campaign.

However, they were denied the opportunity to sign the Boro striker on Deadline Day, as Middlesbrough opted to reject Ipswich's £20m approach for Latte Lath in the final hours of the summer window.

With Liam Delap in sparkling form in-front of goal during the first half of the season, many will likely have considered that to be that when it comes to interest in the Ivorian from Portman Road.

But, that may not have been the case. It was reported on 29 December by 225 Foot that Latte Lath had recently turned down the opportunity to sign for Ipswich, with it being understood that he would be searching for a bigger challenge if he was to leave Middlesbrough in the winter window.

That will no doubt provide hope on Teesside that Boro can keep hold of their star striker beyond January, with The Tractor Boys now seemingly out of the running to capture his signature.

Jarrod Bowen injury blow could have major Middlesbrough, Emmanuel Latte Lath ramifications

However, Middlesbrough aren't out of the woods yet when it comes to keeping hold of Latte Lath this month. His agent, Matthias Veneroso, previously told TuttoMercatoWeb that they "expect something to happen in January" in regard to a transfer away from the Riverside.

The club most strongly linked with a move for the Boro striker at this stage is West Ham United. The Hammers sent a scout to watch the Middlesbrough man in action during a 6-2 win over Oxford United in November, in a game where Latte Lath bagged a hat-trick.

It was reported in mid-December that West Ham had approached Middlesbrough for more information regarding what it might take to secure his signature in January, before Veneroso was himself spotted having been in attendance at the Hammers' training ground in the run-up to Christmas.

With West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen having suffered a broken foot in a 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on 29 December, the England international appears set for a significant spell on the sidelines, and that could be bad news for Boro too.

Julen Lopetegui's side are thin on the ground when it comes to striking options, and should the Hammers be serious about their interest in Latte Lath, Bowen's injury blow could accelerate West Ham's pursuit of the centre-forward.

With Tommy Conway struggling with a hamstring issue, Latte Lath is currently Michael Carrick's only fit centre-forward, and so losing their number nine at this stage of the season could have a catastrophic effect on the remainder of Middlesbrough's campaign.