Chelsea have opened formal talks with Bolton Wanderers aimed at deflecting long-standing interest from Tottenham Hotspur in Gary Cahill and at securing the England centre-half for around £7m when the transfer window opens.
Cahill will enter the final six months of his contract at the Reebok Stadium in the new year and Bolton are resigned to the fact that he will not agree new terms to remain at the club.
That has left the Premier League strugglers seeking a fee for his services now in the hope that Owen Coyle will be able to sign a replacement in the January window, and Chelsea are confident the 26-year-old will reprise at Stamford Bridge the central defensive partnership with John Terry that has proved effective for England recently.
André Villas-Boas confirmed this week that Chelsea were monitoring Cahill's situation and, with the Brazil international Alex placed on the transfer list and sidelined, a centre-half has become a priority in the market. "Regarding Gary Cahill, there has been dialogue between ourselves and Chelsea," Coyle said. "He is a top player and is [still] fully focused on Bolton. That doesn't surprise me. I've said from day one I believe Gary Cahill can play for anybody, I think he has those qualities.
"There is serious interest in Gary, but I've got to say we have two huge games before 1 January [against Newcastle and Wolverhampton Wanderers], before anything could happen. More than his ability, he's an outstanding man, and because of the lad he is his focus will be doing the best for his team-mates, who he's stood shoulder to shoulder with for years here, and trying to help them get points in these two games. Then whatever January brings, so be it. There's nothing signed and sealed at the moment but it's fair to say there has been dialogue [with Chelsea]. I've got to be up front and tell you, as I always do, and that's the situation."
Tottenham were close to securing Cahill on transfer deadline day in August but could not agree a fee, a failure that scuppered Sébastien Bassong's proposed move to Queens Park Rangers. Arsenal were also linked heavily with the former Aston Villa defender, though Arsène Wenger confirmed on Friday that he had adequate cover in central defence and is not looking to strengthen in that area.
Terry, meanwhile, has drawn praise from Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor and Ledley King for his strength of character after he excelled in Thursday's draw at White Hart Lane on his first appearance since the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed he has a case to answer over an alleged racist remark directed at Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand. Terry has denied wrongdoing.
"John Terry showed great personality, great character and did very well," Adebayor said. "You learn to deal with things through experience. It's not the first problem he's had in his life, or in his career. He has had a couple of problems already and he knows how to deal with them."
Those sentiments were echoed by King, the Tottenham captain and a former England team-mate of Terry's. "He played well, as did the rest of them," said King. "But he's a top player. He's got himself in the right position and saved his team at the end [after Adebayor's shot passed Petr Cech]. He's a strong character and lets his football do the talking out there. It doesn't surprise me that, with all that's happening off the pitch, he's able to put in performances like that."
