Official: Chelsea complete £7m signing of Bolton & England defender Gary Cahill

The England defender has finally sealed his move to Stamford Bridge after 16 days of protracted negotiations over personal terms, and could make his debut against Norwich

Gary Cahill has completed his move from Bolton to Cheslea for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £7 million.

The 26-year-old began negotiations with the west London club 16 days ago and has finally put pen to paper on a deal following a medical on Saturday, after which he oversaw his new team's 1-0 victory over Sunderland.

The centre-back is in line to make his debut for the Blues against Norwich City on Saturday, and will be available to play for Chelsea in the FA Cup fourth round against either MK Dons or QPR having not made an appearance in the competition so far this season for Bolton.

Cahill becomes the fifth current England international in the Chelsea squad along with captain John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Daniel Sturridge. 
"Chelsea is a massive club, it is a club that looks to win trophies season in season out," said Cahill, who will wear the number 24 shirt.

"It is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. Opportunities like this you can't turn down.

"This is the right move for me at the right time. I would like to thank everybody at Bolton because I have had a great four years at the football club."

The defender leaves Bolton having made 130 appearances for the Lancashire club and scoring 15 goals, the last of which came two weeks ago in the win at Everton.

"My spell with Wanderers has enabled me to break into the England squad. I would particularly like to thank the fans for their support along the way," Cahill concluded.

He started his career at Aston Villa, making loan moves to Burnley and Sheffield United before completing a £5m switch to the Reebok Stadium in January 2008.

Cahill made his first England appearance in September 2010 as a substitute in a 4-0 win over Bulgaria, and a year later scored his first goal for England, also against Bulgaria.
Source:http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/01/16/2849892/breaking-news-chelsea-complete-signing-of-bolton-wanderers