NIALL QUINN met Steve Bruce last night to agree a deal that will see the Wigan boss become Sunderland’s next manager.

If all goes to plan, Bruce will be officially unveiled as the Black Cats boss within the next 24 hours. Bruce interrupted his holiday in Portugal and flew to Ireland, where he linked up with Quinn, to shake hands on what is thought to be a three-yearcontract.

Preliminary talks had already taken place but last night’s meeting was the first time the pair have met face to face since the Sunderland chairman earmarked Bruce as the man to succeed Ricky Sbragia.

Discussions centred around the terms of Bruce’s contract and his plans to establish the club as a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.

He wants several of his Wigan backroom staff to re-locate to Wearside including trusted number two Eric Black and the 48-year-old manager has already been linked with moves for Latics players Paul Scharner and Antonio Valencia.

The Corbridge-born boss commands a lucrative contract at Wigan of around £45,000 per week.

He also secured himself a handsome bonus last season by steering the side to an 11th place finish in the Premier League.

But Ellis Short, the Sunderland owner, has brought the kind of financial muscle to the Wearsiders that ensures talks between Bruce and Quinn are unlikely to have faltered over finance.

Sunderland’s initial reluctance to acceed to Wigan’s demands for compensation was an early indication of the Dallas- based billionaire’s refusal to be seen as a soft touch.

Dave Whelan, the Latics chairman reluctantly scaled down his initial demand for a £3m compensation payment from Sunderland to match the amount he paid Birmingham City for Bruce’s services in November 2007.

After the clubs agreed on a fee between £2-£3m the way was clear for talks to start.

Bruce had become disillusioned with life at Wigan and the prospect of losing some of his best players during the summer transfer window led him to consider ending his one-and-a-half years at the club.

Quinn and Short share a vision to make Sunderland an established top ten outfit in the Premier League and the ambitious Bruce is regarded as the ideal man to usher in a new era at the club.

Quinn and Short share a vision to make Sunderland an established top ten outfit in the Premier League and the ambitious Bruce is regarded as the ideal man to complete the trio ushering in a new era at the club.

Bruce will be backed with significant funds to strengthen the Black Cats squad with a new striker regarded as an urgent priority.

Tottenham’s Darren Bent, Portsmouth target man Peter Crouch and Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko are all on the Black Cats radar as they eye a Europa League spot next season.

Whelan has admitted privately that Bruce will be leaving the JJB with Robert Martinez, the Swansea manager and Peterborough’s Darren Ferguson top of his wanted list to fill the vacancy. “I am sure there will be 10, 15, 20 applications and if those lads (Martinez and Ferguson) are among the applicants then obviously I have to give them consideration,” said Whelan. “Firstly, it was a bit of shock when it came that I might be losing Steve.

“But there’s no use me speaking to anyone or doing anything until we are going to get a definite yes or no.”

If, as expected Bruce delivered a definite yes to Quinn last night, he’ll become the second of Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United protégés to take charge at Sunderland after Roy Keane was appointed just over three years ago. Both were inspirational captains at Old Trafford but are hugely different characters with Bruce regarded as a far calmer figure than the intense Corkman.

■ An online poll at northernecho. co.uk voted 65per cent in favour of Steve Bruce becoming Sunderland manager.