Prospective Sunderland manager Steve Bruce wants to bring Titus Bramble with him from Wigan Athletic.

The Daily Star says Bruce is prepared to upset his former club by making a £5m bid for the 27-year-old defender.

And further raids on the JJB Stadium are likely as Newcastle fan Bruce starts spending the cash given to him by Sunderland's billionaire owner Ellis Short.

Paul Scharner and Lee Cattermole are two other Wigan players Bruce wants to take with him.

Wigan will fight to keep hold of their player of the year Bramble and midfielder Cattermole, who joined from Middlesbrough for £3.5m last summer.

But Scharner, 29, is determined to quit the club when his current deal runs out at the end of this month, and would like to link up again with Bruce.