The fee it would take for Middlesbrough to sell Emmanuel Latte Lath this summer has been revealed following AS Monaco links.
Middlesbrough will be looking to avoid a repeat of the 2023 summer transfer this year.
Michael Carrick guided Boro to a fourth-place finish in the Championship in 2022/23, losing to Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals.
After failing to gain promotion to the top flight, there was something of a mass exodus at the Riverside Stadium.
Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey and Ryan Giles all returned to their parent clubs and Boro were unable to sign them the following season.
Perhaps the biggest loss during the summer of 2023, though, was Chuba Akpom leaving for Ajax.
A recent admission from Akpom revealed that his move to the Netherlands has not really worked out, but his sale was still a major blow.
The 29-year-old scored 28 league goals in his final season on Teesside, the most of any Boro player in one campaign since 1996/97.
To the credit of owner Steve Gibson, he backed the club in their search for an Akpom replacement, with Emmanuel Latte Lath arriving from Atalanta BC.
Emmanuel Latte Lath price tag revealed after Monaco interest
Latte Lath had a superb debut campaign in England, scoring 16 league goals in 30 outings.
The striker’s form at the back end of the campaign was particularly impressive, netting 11 in his last 12 matches.
Such form has seemingly attracted the interest of Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.
However, a recent report from the Northern Echo has revealed that the French outfit may have a hard time prying Latte Lath away from Boro this summer.
It is claimed that if any offers for the Ivoarian are made this summer, they will be rejected.
The only way Middlesbrough would consider selling Latte Lath is if a sum is received that far exceeds the club’s biggest sale.
For context, Adama Traore is currently Middlesbrough’s most expensive transfer sale, moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers for £16.91m.
Middlesbrough cannot sell Latte Lath
Even if a high transfer sum is offered for Latte Lath in the current window, Middlesbrough should reject it.
The North East outfit spent decades struggling to find a high-scoring striker and have been lucky to have two in back-to-back seasons.
Should Boro part ways with Latte Lath this year, it is hard to see them being able to replace the forward with a player of the same quality.
And even if they are able to do so, the 2024/25 Championship season is now less than a month away.
This means any player brought in now will need time to adapt to Carrick’s team and will likely struggle early in the campaign like Latte Lath did in 2023/24.