MIDDLESBROUGH striker Mido has revealed he’d love to make a permanent move to Wigan, and manager Steve Bruce is keen to open discussions with the club on a deal.

The Egyptian scored the second goal of his loan spell at the weekend when, ironically, the man who made a move in the opposite direction, Marlon King, sealed Middlesbrough’s victory over Hull City.

The chances of both strikers earning permanent transfers moved a step closer with Bruce admitting he has been impressed by the 26-year-old since he made the loan move in January.

There will, however, be no talks while Boro battle against relegation with the Teessiders refusing to be distracted from matters on the pitch.

“We’ll have to sit down at some point, see where Boro are and what their situation is regarding Mido,” said Bruce.

“They have Marlon King who is our player on loan, so when the time is right we’ll have a conversation.”

Wigan are thought to be keen to offload King who had a loan spell with Hull earlier this season before making the transfer window switch to Teesside.

The striker’s goal at the weekend capped a battling performance that is likely to see him retain his starting berth for this Saturday’s vital home clash with Fulham.

And £6m signing Mido is keen to join Bruce on a fulltime basis if the two clubs can reach agreement.

The striker said: “I’m enjoying it here, I’m working hard and getting back to my best. It’s good working with Steve Bruce and Eric Black, and if I’m being honest, I would love to be here next season.

“It’s a bit too early to talk about that because we don’t know what is going to happen at Middlesbrough. I really hope that Boro stay in the Premier League for everyone’s sake there, they are great people.”

Mido scored just seven times in 33 appearances for Boro as concerns over his fitness prevented the talented forward from making a major impact at the Riverside.

Bruce has no such concerns after seeing Mido respond positively to Wigan's tough training regime.

Bruce said: “If he continues playing like that, of course we’d be interested in taking him, but he’s still a Middlesbrough player.

“I think you can see why I like Mido. He’s trained hard since he’s come here – done everything he possibly can to get fitter. His fitness levels are getting better and the way he led the line against Arsenal was terrific.”

In the meantime, Gareth Southgate has issued a rallying cry to fans as Boro hope to attract another bumper crowd for Saturday’s game.

“All the players commented after Saturday’s match that the atmosphere was fantastic,”

said Southgate. “The supporters really made a massive difference.

“But now we’re asking them to do it all over again.

Fulham won’t bring the thousands that Hull did, but we’d love to see another full house.

That would be another huge boost for the players.”

■ Servicemen and women from RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, will parade at the Riverside before the Fulham game.

It will be a chance for the Teesside public to give a show of support to the 34 Squadron RAF Regiment before they leave the UK for a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

■ Season card holders can buy up to ten tickets for friends and family at the rate of two for only £20 for Saturday’s game.

For ticket details call 0844- 499-1234 or call in at the Riverside’s main ticket office.

■ Boro’s full allocation of 1,500 tickets for the Barclays Premier League fixture at Arsenal on Sunday, April 26, (1.30pm) have sold out.

However, a small number of places remain available on the MFC Travel Club coaches.

Call 0844-499-1234 for further details.