Chelsea beat Tottenham to Gary Cahill

Chelsea have reportedly agreed a £7m deal for Bolton Wanderers' Gary Cahill, despite a late move by Tottenham Hotspur.

The England international, whose current contract expires at the end of the season, is expected to replace out-of-favour Brazilian centre-back Alex at Stamford Bridge.

While Cahill has been linked with a number of clubs since the summer – including both Barcelona and Real Madrid – Chelsea are understood to have had an agreement in place for almost four months, according to The Mirror.

Meanwhile, Tottenham are believed to have offered a swap deal for the defender, but Bolton are expected to use the funds to attempt to land New York Red Bulls centre-back Tim Ream instead.