MIDDLESBROUGH have tried to resurrect a move to Wigan for Mido by asking for striker Marlon King in exchange.

With Latics manager Steve Bruce an admirer of Mido, Boro have floated the idea of swapping the forwards until the end of the season.

An agreement is far from reached, and King is on loan at Hull City until the end of May.

But after the former Watford man was ordered home by Tigers manager Phil Brown on Saturday, there is a chance that Middlesbrough and Wigan could reach an agreement.

Brown axed King from his match-day squad when the player reacted in “an unacceptable manner” after originally being named among the substitutes to face Arsenal on Saturday.

Hull chairman Paul Duffen has since revealed that the 28- year-old will be dealt with internally, but it has been suggested he has played his last game for Hull after Brown’s move to take Manchester United’s Manucho on loan.

Sending him back to Wigan would pave the way for Mido to move to the JJB Stadium.

Bruce tried to sign the former Tottenham and Roma striker last summer, but was told by Gareth Southgate that he was not for sale.

However, that situation has changed following a breakdown in the pair's relationship which has led to attempts to swap him for Aston Villa's Marlon Harewood and Newcastle's Alan Smith.

Neither deal was secured and now the proposed exchange for £5m-rated King – while still in the extremely early stages – would appear to suit.

Southgate has very little money to spend this month, if any, unless he can raise his transfer budget by offloading.

Nevertheless that has not stopped him from making a move for Crystal Palace’s Ben Watson, with a £1.5m offer thought to have been verbally discussed between the clubs.

But Boro, who face Wolves in the FA Cup on Saturday before next week’s trip to Chelsea in the league, have been warned by Palace that no deals will be done until the transfer window is due to close on February 2.

Watson is under contract until December but Palace are desperate to raise money to reduce their wage bill.

Southgate needs new faces, with a midfield crisis developing following Didier Digard’s sending off on Saturday.

Digard faces a three match ban for his dismissal for a two-footed lunge on West Brom’s Borja Valero, which sparked protests from Middlesbrough players towards referee Mark Halsey.

And the Football Association confirmed that Boro have been charged for failing to control its players, in light of the events immediately after Digard’s red card.

They have until February 4 to respond to the charge.

■ Winger Jermaine Pennant has agreed to join Portsmouth on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season. Pennant was expected to move to Pompey last week, after the clubs agreed terms for a player signed by the Reds for £6.7million from Birmingham in July 2006.

■ Arsenal look to be closing in on their pursuit of Russia international Andrei Arshavin – provided they can overcome the hurdle of the ‘‘unacceptable’’ fee demanded by Zenit St Petersburg, according to the player’s agent.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has made the 27-yearold his number one target, but the Premier League club will not be held to ransom.

It had been reported the two parties were close to an agreement, with Arsenal understood to have returned with an improved £12million offer which also includes addons, while Zenit coach Dick Advocaat claimed a move was indeed imminent.