MLS transfer record broken as Lautaro Martinez clone joins Atlanta United

Robin Bairner

• 3 Feb 2025 16:57 CST
• 8 min read

The MLS transfer record is set to be shattered by Atlanta United, who are set to continue their reputation as big spenders on deals by announcing the arrival of a player who bears a striking resemblance to Lautaro Martinez in his playing style.

Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath is set to hook up with the MLS side for a fee of €21.2 million ($22m).

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Current ETV

Emmanuel Latte Lath

F (C)

Middlesbrough

Emmanuel Latte Lath

F (C)

Middlesbrough

€11.1M

ETV Range

€10M - €12.2M

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This will break the previous record, which was set when Kevin Denkey joined FC Cincinnati on 31 January from Cercle Brugge. That deal was completed for around €15.3m but will stand only briefly as the biggest in MLS history, according to Tom Bogert.

He reports: “Atlanta United have completed a new MLS league-record transfer to sign center forward Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough, per sources.

“Atlanta will pay a fee of $22 million plus add-ons, the biggest deal in MLS history.”

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Latte Lath missed Boro’s 3-2 defeat to Sunderland in the Championship on Monday, with the two-time capped Ivory Coast international having scored 11 times in 29 outings for Michael Carrick’s side this season.

Atlanta will hope that he can bring that type of potency to their forward line after they reached the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2024 following a disappointing regular season campaign.

Data analytics firm SciSports compare the 26-year-old striker to Lautaro Martinez or Victor Boniface in his style. Indeed, he is a tricky player to pigeonhole in terms of his style, which a cross between a target man and a poacher, but his performance in key metrics in the Championship has been impressive over the last two campaigns.

Big-spending Atlanta strike again

Atlanta United, meanwhile, will regain the mantle of being the biggest-spending club in MLS.

Prior to Cincinnati’s capture of Denky, the three biggest deals in League history went to the Five Stripes: Thiago Almada, Gonzalo Martinez and Esequiel Barco.

When Latte Lath signs, Atlanta will have five of the biggest transfers in MLS history.