The transfer of defender Gary Cahill to Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers was concluded on Monday, which could open the door for Bolton to acquire Red Bull defender Tim Ream.

Though Ream lacks the necessary percentage of competitive caps to qualify automatically for a work permit, the sale of Cahill for 7 million pounds ($10.7 million) was seen as a necessary prerequisite for Ream to move abroad. The fee for Ream's transfer has been reported at 2.5 million to 3 million pounds ($3.8 million to $4.6 million).

"Chelsea is a massive club," Cahill told Chelsea's official website. "It is a club that looks to win trophies season in, season out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. Opportunities like this, you can't turn down."

Said Chelsea manager Andre Villa-Boas, "He has good technical abilities which is important in the way we want to play and to implement our philosophy. Our passing philosophy in building from the back. He has speed of anticipation, is an English international of course. Competition will be tight for him but we brought him in to become better as a team."