Wigan Athletic are offering a cool £3 million to Birmingham City to release their manager Steve Bruce.

The Daily Mail says Dave Whelan has offered Birmingham a record-breaking £3million compensation package in a bid to make Bruce the new Wigan Athletic manager.

Last night the Wigan chairman, who is on holiday in Barbados, was still waiting for permission from Birmingham to speak to Bruce. City's managing director Karren Brady said last night that the request was being considered.

One sticking point last night was Bruce's desire to take assistant Eric Black with him as Birmingham argue this would leave nobody to run the team in the short-term.