Middlesbrough and Burnley will compete for the Championship’s top spot this season, but their pursuit of a former Borough striker appears to have ended.

The Clarets have Zian Flemming on their books for the new season, and after 11 goals in 29 Premier League games last season and 12 the year before to assist them back to the top level, supporters at Turf Moor will be hoping the Dutchman sticks.

Nonetheless, Nicky Hayen’s team exhibited interest in Atlanta United striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, making a loan-to-buy deal last week, according to Alan Nixon’s report.

With the likelihood of the 27-year-old returning to the Championship, where he scored 27 goals in 59 appearances for Middlesbrough, Kim Hellberg’s side have understandably been connected.

However, both are set to miss out since visa complications have thwarted their ambitions to sign the former Borough striker this summer.

Why is Emmanuel Latte Lath considering leaving DC United?

Just 18 months ago, Latte Lath set the MLS transfer cost record while also becoming Middlesbrough’s record sale when he signed for Atlanta United for £22.5 million.

The former Atalanta forward was one of the second-tier’s best attackers during his season-and-a-half at Borough, scoring 16 in 30 in his debut campaign and 11 in 29 in the first half of the 2024/25 season.

However, it has not gone well for him over the Atlantic. Despite the high fee, Latte Lath was unable to prevent Atalanta from finishing second-bottom in the MLS Eastern Conference, with only five wins all season. Halfway through the 2026 term, they are in the bottom, with three wins out of 17.

The Ivorian striker scored just seven goals in 30 games in his rookie season and has only scored twice this year, becoming unpopular with Gerardo Martino as the season progressed.

Middlesbrough and Burnley face visa setback in their pursuit of Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Latte Lath has considered returning to Europe as a way to regain some of the form he demonstrated at Middlesbrough, which earned him £22.5 million in February 2025.

Unfortunately, according to the Daily Mail, neither Borough nor Burnley will be able to complete a deal due to visa issues.

According to the report, Kim Hellberg’s side attempted to bring the 27-year-old back to the Riverside on an initial loan, but he does not have enough points to gain a UK visa. Instead, he’s poised to join Bundesliga club Union Berlin.

Die Eisernen are hopeful that Latte Lath will help catapult them back into European contention in the German top division. They qualified for the Champions League in 2022/23, but have placed no higher than 11th in the next three years.

Middlesbrough and Burnley should be content to make do with their present striker alternatives next season.

Those two, along with Tommy Conway, David Srelec, and Morgan Whittaker, could provide Kim Hellberg with a threatening assault next season, and a move for Latte Lath may have been viewed as purely sentimental rather than improving their present alternatives.

Meanwhile, Burnley will be hoping to persuade Flemming to stay at Turf Moor this summer, and many believe that this stumbling block in the quest for Latte Lath will make keeping him even more important.

FLW’s Clarets fan pundit expressed his reservations about the 27-year-old’s links earlier this week, so the Clarets may be better off keeping with who they have or trying to replace him if the Dutchman departs this summer.