Bolton manager Owen Coyle says the club have agreed a fee with Chelsea for defender Gary Cahill.

Chelsea are short of cover in central defence, with Alex out in the cold after handing in a transfer request.

Coyle said: “There has been a fee agreed between the clubs and we have now given Gary’s representatives permission to speak to Chelsea.”

However, Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas revealed they were still “miles apart” from Cahill over personal terms.

The 26-year-old is out of contract with Bolton at the end of the season.

And Coyle added: “I have said to Gary that he has to be focused on giving everything for Bolton Wanderers, because he knows Bolton Wanderers has been terrific for him just as much as Gary has been for us.”

However, Villas-Boas said the deal was still far from being finalised.

“We’re still miles apart regarding agreement with the player,” he said. “We’ll continue to monitor this situation as we continue to monitor others.

He revealed his admiration for the Bolton defender though.

“I think his technical attributes are immense and his pace is fantastic as well,” Villas-Boas said.

“There are weaknesses and they are also related to the collective weaknesses of Bolton.

“He’s a player that at international level has been playing well. He can add to this squad or any squad in the Premier League.”

Villas-Boas revealed midfielder Josh McEachran would not be joining Bolton on loan but could move to another club.

Cahill, who joined Bolton in a £5m move from Aston Villa in January 2008, made his England debut against Ghana in March 2011 and scored his first international goal in the 3-0 victory over Bulgaria in September.

If Cahill is indeed to leave Wanderers in the next few days, Coyle will view it as a blessing that the move is occurring early in the January transfer window, giving him a chance to reinvest the money in new players.