MIDDLESBROUGH supporters could be forgiven for seeing double next season with manager Gareth Southgate lining up an audacious swoop for the Swiss Degen twins.

Southgate is hoping to kickstart his summer recruitment drive by signing both David and Phillipp Degen this month.

The former, who is in the process of leaving German side Borussia Moenchengladbach, is expected to arrive on Teesside for a medical later this week despite strong interest from Scottish champions Celtic.

And the latter, who has spent the last two seasons with Borussia Dortmund, could also join Middlesbrough in a unique double transfer.

David Degen, the elder of the identical duo by 20 minutes, is no stranger to Boro supporters after representing Basle in last season's UEFA Cup.

The 24-year-old right midfielder was the Swiss side's star performer as Middlesbrough slipped to a 2-0 defeat in the opening leg of their quarter-final tie.

He was less impressive as the Teessiders staged a sensational second-half recovery to win the second leg 4-1, but Middlesbrough scouts have continued to track his progress over the last 12 months.

With his current employers, Moenchengladbach, having been relegated from the Bundesliga this season, Degen senior is certain to move on this summer.

And after missing out on Scottish midfielder Scott Brown, Southgate is confident of beating off competition from north of the border to sign the winger.

Interestingly, though, his Swiss recruitment drive might not end there, as initial talks with David Degen's representative have suggested that his brother, Phillipp, could also be available this summer.

Having released Stuart Parnaby and Abel Xavier this month, Southgate is in desperate need of a right-back to challenge Andrew Davies for a place in the first team next season.

Phillipp Degen, who also began his career at Basle but who had moved on by the time Boro travelled to Switzerland last season, was Switzerland's first-choice right-back at last summer's World Cup, and sources in his homeland suggest he too is looking to move to the Premiership this summer.

With Dortmund unlikely to qualify for Europe ahead of the final game of the Bundesliga season this weekend, Middlesbrough are hoping to persuade Phillipp to join his brother on Teesside.

The need for defensive reinforcements became even more acute yesterday when Robert Huth underwent a second bout of surgery on his troublesome ankle.

Huth, who has already had one operation since joining Middlesbrough last summer, will miss the start of pre-season training, making him unlikely to feature in the opening game of next season's Premiership programme in August.

The Germany international almost missed out on a move to Teesside last summer when an ankle problem meant that he failed his first medical.

The problem reappeared in December but, while a subsequent bout of surgery enabled him to return to action in the second half of the season, the treatment has not solved the problem.

Southgate can at least console himself with the news that Jonathan Woodgate will be ready for the start of the new campaign. The 27-year-old underwent exploratory knee surgery on Monday, and is confident the procedure has been a success