Chelsea sign Nicolas Anelka for £15 million

January 11, 2008

Times Online and Agencies

Nicolas Anelka has completed his move from Bolton Wanderers to Chelsea after the clubs agreed a fee of £15million. The French forward has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea had an earlier bid, believed to be £11 million, for the 28-year-old rejected but returned with an increased offer.

Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, said after the Carling Cup semi-final first leg win over Everton on Tuesday that he hoped to clinch a deal in time for tomorrow's Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotpsur.

Chelsea are without Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, who are away at the African Cup of Nations, while Andriy Shevchenko has an ankle injury.

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Anelka, who has scored 11 goals in 22 games this season, has been constantly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge despite signing a new four-year deal at the Reebok Stadium last August.

He has made no secret of his desire to play in the Champions League and is still eligible for this season's competition.

Anelka joined Bolton in 2006 from Turkish club Fenerbahce for a club record £8m. He has also played for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain and won the Champions League while at Real Madrid.

The move makes him the most expensive footballer in history with combined transfer fees of £85 million, beating the previous record of £77m for Juan Sebastian Veron, the former Argentina midfielder.