Steve Bruce's hopes of being reunited with Lee Cattermole at the Stadium of Light have suffered a set-back after Wigan Athletic confirmed they have rejected a bid from Sunderland for the combative midfielder.

As ExtraFootie told you earlier today, the Black Cats boss had lodged an undisclosed bid, believed to be in the region of £5million, for the 21-year-old as he looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the new Premier League season which kicks-off on August 15th.

Bruce is a huge fan of the England Under-21 ace after he became such an integral part of his Wigan team following his £3.5million move from Middlesbrough last summer.

Wigan chief Roberto Martinez has previously admitted he is keen to keep hold of the combative midfielder after he was linked with a move away from the DW Stadium following his impressive showing at the European Under 21 Championships in Sweden last month/

It will be interesting to see if Bruce will up the ante for his former protege, who has also reportedly been attracting interest from Liverpool and Tottenham, and table an improved offer or move on to other targets with Rangers' Northern Ireland international Steve Davis a possible alternative.