Chelsea are leading the fight to sign Bolton defender Gary Cahill with the west London club set to secure his signature
when the January transfer window opens.
Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas is conducting an overhaul of his squad and has identified Cahill as the man to play alongside captain John Terry.
The Trotters are keen to cash-in on their star defender who is out of contract in the summer and would be allowed to leave for free.
Villas-Boas would have to cough-up £7million to complete to transfer, according to The Mirror.
The Stamford Bridge exodus is already under way with Nicols Anelka set to join Shanghai Shenhua and defender Alex is waiting to find a new club.
Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou could could also be heading for the exit as the Blues midfielders are being lured by potential deals to move to Russia.
France international Malouda, 31, is being tracked by big spenders Anzhi Makhachkala while Kalou, 26, is on Lokomotiv Moscow and Anzhi’s wishlist.
And while striker Didier Drogba’s future remains uncertain, he will definitely miss part of Chelsea’s season early next year while on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Michael Essien is 30 next year but his career is in danger of being cut short by a series of serious knee injuries, while Frank Lampard is 33 and no longer able to command a first-team place.