Chelsea are in talks with Bolton in a bid to land England defender Gary Cahill.
The player is also a target for Tottenham and Arsenal, but the Blues are hoping to take him to Stamford Bridge.
Spurs were close to signing Cahill during the previous transfer window but were unable to complete a deal and have been widely tipped to try again in January.
But Chelsea and Arsenal are also looking to strengthen the centre of their defences after being plagued by mistakes at the back during the first half of the season.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas signalled his intention to bring in fresh blood by transfer-listing Alex and recently confirming that Cahill was on his wanted list.
Bolton, who are struggling near the bottom of the Premier League, accept that their prized asset is likely to leave next month.
And talks are underway with Chelsea ahead of a possible move to west London for the 26-year-old, who joined Wanderers from Aston Villa for £5m four years ago.
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This post was last modified on 26/12/2011