Last Updated: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:21
Steve Bruce is stepping up his attempts to sign Lee Cattermole from Wigan and is ready to offer cash up front.
The Sunderland boss has a healthy transfer kitty at his disposal and is ready to fight off interest from Tottenham to land the England Under-21 international.
Bruce signed Cattermole from Middlesbrough last summer when he was in charge of Wigan and hopes his former employers will accept a fee in the region of £7million.
Latics have insisted the player is not for sale but Bruce believes paying the transfer fee in full could tempt Roberto Martinez's side to cash in.