Chelsea Agree Fee With Bolton To Sign Gary Cahill

December 31, 2011

chelsea have agreed a fee with to sign the England centre-back Gary Cahill for a fee of about £7m, the Bolton manager, Owen Coyle, confirmed on Friday morning.
The defender, who is out of contract at the end of the season, had been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in the August but over the past few weeks Chelsea's interest has grown following their decision to put the Brazil centre-back Alex up for sale.
The 26-year-old joined Bolton from Aston Villa in January 2008 for a fee of £5m and during his time at The Reebok has established himself as a regular member of the England squad, winning seven caps for the senior team.
"There has been a fee agreed between the clubs and we have now given Gary's representatives permission to speak to Chelsea," said Coyle.
"That is where we are with it. We obviously have a game tomorrow and I have said to Gary that he has to be focused on giving everything for Bolton Wanderers, because he knows Bolton Wanderers has been terrific for him just as much as Gary has been for us. That is why they have representatives – to sort that out – and whatever 1 January brings, it will bring."
Chelsea's manager André Villas-Boas said the parties were still "miles apart" over the player's personal terms, adding: "We'll continue to monitor this situation as we continue to monitor others."
He was, however, confident an agreement would be reached and praised Cahill's ability, saying: "I think his technical attributes are immense. His pace is fantastic as well. There are weaknesses and they are also related to the collective weaknesses of Bolton.
"He's a player that at international level has been playing well. He can add to this squad or any squad in the Premier League."
Villas-Boas revealed the midfielder Josh McEachran would not be joining Bolton on loan but could move to another club.