Wigan Athletic have rejected a bid from Sunderland for Lee Cattermole as Steve Bruce attempts to rebuild his squad at The Stadium of Light.

Bruce, who left Wigan for Sunderland last month, signed the combative England under-21 midfield player from Middlesbrough for £3.5 million a little under a year ago, and made an undisclosed bid for a player who impressed last season.

However, Roberto Martinez, Bruce's successor, made it clear within an hour that he has no plans to sell.

"Lee is not for sale, end of story," a statement on the official club website read. "He is a fantastic player, a leader on and off the field, and he is central to our plans going forwards.

"We are not interested in selling him, which is why this offer was rejected immediately. It is not usually our style to discuss incoming or outgoing transfers until they are completed, but we have made an exception in this case because I feel so strongly about wanting to keep hold of Lee, along will all my best players."

Bruce may be surprised by the strength of Wigan's response. He knew all too well that Wigan have been a selling club and that every player has his price. Wilson Palacios was a key member of his team until a £14million bid from Tottenham prised him away in January and a similar thing happened when Manchester United offered £16million for winger Antonio Valencia earlier this summer.

Bruce must now decide whether to come back with an improved offer despite the tone of Martinez' statement. Martinez has his own rebuilding to do with a deal agreed to bring in Jason Scotland, the forward, from Swansea City.

A fee has been agreed with the Swans and the 30-year-old, having played under Martinez at the Liberty Stadium last season, is unlikely to have any problems agreeing personal terms. The only delay in the transfer going through may be down to issues surrounding the Trinidad and Tobago international's work permit.

"The player has been given official permission to speak with Latics and he has been in Wigan to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms," said a Wigan statement. "However, the transfer is far from complete and the player will not be unveiled until the situation over his permission to work in this country is resolved, and this could take some time. The club cannot comment any further on the transfer until he is officially registered and confirmed as a Wigan player."