Middlesbrough set for double swoop

Middlesbrough boss Gareteh Southgate is making a £5 million double bid for Derby County striker Rob Hulse and Sheffield United centre half Matthew Kilgallon.

Southgate is delighted to have sold Brazilian flop forward Afonso Alves to Qatar side Al Sadd and has immediately launched a bid for far-travelled Hulse - a long-term target.

Boro hope to snap up Hulse for around £3 million and do the deal today, although they could take him on loan after the window shuts - with a guaranteed full-time deal at the end of that spell.

And Southgate is also now at the head of the queue for Kilgallon, who refuses to sign a new deal with Blades and is also fancied by Newcastle United. A £2 million offer may tempt United to sell.