'Talks held': West Ham move to beat Ipswich Town to 'zippy' Championship striker

West Ham are reported to have held talks with the agent of Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath ahead of a potential January transfer to the London Stadium for the 25-year-old.

The Boro man has been in fine form this season with nine Championship goals to his name before the Sunday evening trip to Burnley, including an impressive hat-trick and assist in the 6-2 romp over Oxford United last month - Hammer scouts are believed to have been in the stands to watch that fixture. After the game, Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick hailed the player’s ‘sharpness’ and ‘zip’.

The forward broke through in the North East last season, having arrived from Atalanta in August 2023, and had been tipped to complete a move to Ipswich Town last summer.

Nothing came from those rumours but the Tractor Boys are still credited with interest in the player as the January transfer window approaches. However, Kieran McKenna's outfit are set to face competition from West Ham as Julen Lopetegui looks to add firepower to his squad.

The Hammers splurged £27 million on Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund ahead of the current campaign but the striker has struggled to find his feet in London, with injuries not helping. There is now talk that the German could already be on the verge of quitting West Ham with the Premier League side looking to bring in a new source of goals.

The Sunday Mirror is the latest to report interest in Latte Lath with the publication claiming that West Ham have already had talks with the player's agent Matthias Veneroso. West Ham are lacking options in the striker's role with Michail Antonio sidelined for a long period following his recent car accident.

Michael Carrick determined to hold on to West Ham target

Middlesbrough boss Carrick has confronted transfer speculation over a January exit for his talisman, who attracted a £20 million offer from Ipswich Town on Deadline Day earlier this year. Carrick told BBC Radio Tees: "It's [the speculation] not coming from us - we're looking to be successful and we've built a good squad and we've got a lot of options so it's pretty clear where we stand. We're in control of things to a large extent in terms of the group of players we've got and what January looks like.

"There's always decisions to be made and that's sometimes for different reasons but we're happy with the squad we've got and we want to come out of January as strong, if not stronger than when we are going into it - and we'll do everything we can to do that.

"You've got to be realistic in terms of where we are and what other leagues or teams are out there, but certainly for us we're pushing, striving, fighting for every inch we can to improve as a group. I just want to keep getting better and keep trying to add and improve the squad as much as we can and see where that takes us."