Is Gary Cahill on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer?

It's something that the Chelsea faithful wouldn't hear of not so long ago, but at 30-years-old, Cahill might find himself being sold on for the right money.

Cahill signed for Chelsea in January 2012 from Bolton Wanderers. A no-nonsense central defender who is fierce in the tackle and a fine reader of the game, the Englishman was rewarded for his move south with two medals in his first six months in west London, including one in his maiden Champions League venture. He emerged as a first-choice centre-back at international level, while also adding a Europa League medal to his collection and he was a pivotal figure during 2013/14 as the Blues kept the best defensive record in the Premier League. A Premier League title and League Cup win in 2014/15 meant Cahill had rapidly assembled the full set of club honours. The England vice-captain has played more than 170 games for the champions.

And this is fine, but word is that a new manager may well look for a younger centre-half pairing, with John Terry already seemingly on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

It might all change if Guus Hiddink to remains in charge, but with the likes of Antonio Conte in contention to be the next Blues boss, it appears that Cahill's days could be numbered.

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A source close to Cahill, bought for £7m four years ago, told Reuters the 30-year-old considered himself to be “at the crossroads of his career”. There was a feeling of a lack of first-team opportunities being on the horizon may leave Cahill on the fringes for the rest of the season while Chris Smalling and John Stones press their claims to be England’s first-choice centre-back partnership for the EUROs by playing regularly.

With new 6ft 4in signing Matt Miazga a younger option at centre-half, it could signal a rush for the signature of a player with still so much to offer before long.

Cahill was understood to have been unnerved by his lack of first-team opportunities, particularly with the European Championships looming. He has appeared only a few times since Hiddink was appointed interim manager, having fallen behind Kurt Zouma in the pecking order at centre-back. Now that Zouma is out injured, Cahill is in, but obviously the youngster will be back at some point and where will that leave the England international?

"It's all about me playing for Chelsea," said Cahill. "The bottom line is that I am very happy here, and I extended my contract for those reasons. My family and everything is settled here, I've had loads of success.

"I want to keep that going. I don't want to be stale. I'm 30. I've got a good few years left in me yet."

There was a real possibility of Cahill leaving Chelsea in the January transfer window, but to find a suitable replacement within the time allocated just didn't seem plausible and discreet enquiries were rebuffed.

Liverpool and Everton are both rumoured to be interested in Cahill's services, but should he decide not to move his family, then there could be at least two moves in London worth considering. West Ham were linked with Terry not so long ago, so a central pairing of Terry and Cahill could be a dream for the Hammers, although they have enough bodies at centre-back themselves. Arsenal would also likely show an interest, so it would appear that should Cahill leave Stamford Bridge this summer there will be no shortage of admirers.

While Cahill has been in and out of the Chelsea side, he has been a mainstay in England's successful march to the EUROs, playing in eight of their qualifiers as they won all 10 to sweep into the finals. Cahill also captained his country for the first time in October's European Championship qualifying victory over Estonia at Wembley.

Whatever happens to Cahill, this is a player with still so much to offer.

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