Source: Daily_Mail
Bruce on the verge of joining Sunderland as Wigan hold out for huge settlement
Wigan boss Steve Bruce is set to complete his switch to Sunderland within the next 24 hours.
The Latics are holding out for a huge compensation settlement - more than the £3million they paid Birmingham to land Bruce in 2007 - after resigning themselves to losing their highly-rated manager.
Bruce - a huge Newcastle fan - is going on holiday at the end of the week and both clubs want to complete the deal before his departure.
And it is understood that they have already made plans for Bruce's replacement, with Swansea boss and former Wigan star Roberto Martinez a leading contender.
Bruce emerged as one of Niall Quinn and Ellis Short's leading choices for the vacancy at the Stadium of Light after Ricky Sbragia resigned on Sunday.
Bruce has established himself as a top Premier League boss after transforming Wigan into a mid-table side after taking over from Paul Jewell.
If he moves to the North-East, Bruce is expected to take No 2 Eric Black, goalkeeping coach Nigel Spink and reserve boss Keith Bertschin with him.
'There's always speculation and you cannot stop that. It is flattering,' Bruce told Sky Sports. 'But I'm very, very pleased with what's happened with Wigan and I'm quite pleased with what's happening in the future, so we'll see what develops.'
Gordon Strachan, Jurgen Klinsmann and Frank Rijkaard are other names under consideration by the ambitious Stadium of Light board.
Sbragia walked away from Sunderland after they sealed their top-flight place on the final day of the season despite a home defeat against Chelsea.
