Bolton last night geared up for the new Barclays Premier League season by smashing their transfer record with the £12million capture of Sweden striker Johan Elmander.

The club have not really recovered from the January sale of previous record signing Nicolas Anelka - a £8.5m purchase from Fenerbahce two years ago - to Chelsea last season and fought a hard battle for survival under new manager Gary Megson.

Record buy: Elmander

Now they have taken the first giant step to make sure they don't flirt with relegation again this coming capaign by agreeing a deal with Toulouse for the 27-year-old centre forward, who played at the Euro 2008 finals.

Megson has battled hard in recent weeks to complete a deal for 6ft 2in Elmander after finally being given the green light to talk to him by the French club.

Bolton are throwing Norwegian misfit winger Daniel Braaten into the deal in return. Megson held talks with Elmander last weekend and chairman Phil Gartside flew out to France to complete the deal.

The Swede, who has scored 22 goals in 62 games for Toulouse and grabbed nine goals in 34 internationals for his country, arrived in Manchester on Thursday night and had his medical at the Reebok yesterday morning.

Elmander has been hunted by Megson ever since Anelka's departure to Stamford Bridge but was initially put off by a £20m price tag.

Gartside is clearly intent on continuing to back his manager because he has given him the go-ahead to pursue his interest in two other marksmen - Lyon's Milan Baros and Manchester United's Louis Saha - plus Reading winger Kevin Harper.

Boton's problem in recent years - even under the successful Sam Allardyce - has been scoring goals and they briefly appeared to have solved that when Anelka came to the club.

But once he left for Chelsea in January, the goals dried up and it is this that has prompted Gartside to back his manager so spectacularly.

Last night Megson said: 'Johan is a player I have admired for a long time. He's a player who will get us goals and also create other opportunities for his team-mates.

'I am still on the lookout for other players to boost the quality of our squad.'

Elmander played in two of Sweden's Euro 2008 games and has a record of 11 goals in 38 appearances for his country. Having first come to prominence playing for Feyenoord in Holland in 2003-04, he subsequently had two seasons at Brondby before moving to France, where he continued to find the net.

The deal takes Bolton's spending in the past six months to £30m and is Megson's second capture of the summer following the arrival of midfielder Fabrice Muamba for £5m two weeks ago from Birmingham City.