STEVE BRUCE has been told by his managerial successor at Wigan Athletic that there is no chance of Lee Cattermole joining him at Sunderland.

Roberto Martinez, the recently appointed Latics boss, confirmed last night that there had been an offer for Cattermole, thought to amount to about £6m.

And while that is double the fee Bruce agreed to pay Middlesbrough 12 months ago for the whole-hearted midfielder, Martinez has given the impression Sunderland might have to double that to get their man.

With Liverpool and Tottenham also being kept informed about the situation, Wigan are in no rush to accept any sort of bid when an auction could start within the next few weeks.

Bruce, who has also upped his offer for Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch, had paved the way for Cattermole’s arrival earlier in the week by accepting a double offer of about £5m from Ipswich for Dean Whitehead and Daryl Murphy.

Martinez, though, is standing firm and has been told by Wigan chairman Dave Whelan that he does not have to accept any offers that do not reflect the player’s value.

“Lee is not for sale, end of story,” said Martinez. “He is a fantastic player, a leader on and off the field, and he is central to our plans going forwards.

We are not interested in selling him which is why this offer was rejected immediately.

“It’s not usually our style to discuss incoming of outgoing transfers until they are completed, but we have made an exception in this case because I feel strongly about wanting to keep hold of Leeand all of my best players.

“He is currently on a wellearned break after his efforts for the Under-21s in the summer and will be reporting back to training next week. I am looking forward to working with him. Let’s forget about this and move on.”

Cattermole was part of the England Under-21 team that reached the final of the European Championships this summer and is currently on holiday ahead of a return to training next week.

The 21-year-old would be interested in moving back to the North-East to work with Bruce again, but he has also enjoyed his one season playing regularly at the DW Stadium. Bruce is unlikely to agree to pay £10m or more for the player, although Cattermole is his preferred choice to play the defensive midfield role next season.

The Sunderland manager is determined to make the Black Cats a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League next season, after two years of struggling against relegation.

And, after his first few days of pre-season training at the Academy of Light, Bruce hopes to have finalised his first signing within the next 48 hours.

Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell has been in the North-East for talks after a £5.5m fee was agreed and he will have a medical over the weekend.

Hull City manager Phil Brown, who had hoped to land Campbell, has already resigned himself to losing out. Brown said: “I’m disappointed but I was always nervous about the deal because of the way it was dragging along.

“I took a phone call from Sir Alex and he was apologetic that the player had not come to us. He firmly believed this was the right club for Fraizer but he’s obviously getting advice from somewhere else.”

It remains to be seen whether Campbell will be partnered up front by England striker Crouch, although he is fast becoming Bruce’s top target.

Portsmouth have now received further offers from Sunderland for Crouch. And having started at an initial £11m-plus, it is thought discussions have reached the £15m mark for the former Liverpool man.

■ Sunderland season ticket holders can now apply for tickets to the pre-season game at Celtic, a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, August 1.

■ Tickets for Sunderland’s trip to Hearts (3pm August 8) are on general sale from 10am on Monday.