Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season. REUTERS REUTERS

Romelu Lukaku has admitted the lack of first-team opportunities at Chelsea could force him to seek a loan move elsewhere next season, if the situation does not improve.

Lukaku, 18, has made just three Premier League appearances under Andre Villas-Boas since arriving from Anderlecht in the summer and the Belgian international has revealed his frustration with life at Stamford Bridge.

The striker has fallen behind Daniel Sturridge, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in the Chelsea pecking order and he revealed he will discuss the situation with Villas-Boas before making a decision over his future.

"If my situation at Chelsea does not evolve between now and the end of the season, it may be better to be loaned out for a season," Lukaku told Belga news agency.

"A loan this season is not possible, as I have already played for two different clubs [Chelsea and Anderlecht], if this situation endures, it might be better to play for another club for a year and then come back.

"But let's see what happens in the next six months. Many things could still change," the Chelsea striker added.

Meanwhile, Bolton defender Gary Cahill is expected to complete his protracted transfer to Chelsea within the next 24 hours.

The two sides are believed to have agreed a fee of around £7m for the England international but have struggled to finalise personal terms after Villas-Boas revealed the two parties were initially "miles apart" in their negotiations.

However, Bolton manager Owen Coyle believes an announcement will be made by Tuesday at the latest.

"My understanding is that everything is agreed," he told Sky Sports.

"The clubs agreed [a fee] a number of weeks ago, the player, his representative and Chelsea have agreed, and I think he sailed through the medical as we all would expect.

"For me, between today and tomorrow morning, it is just a matter of the contracts being exchanged between the relevant parties to conclude the deal. As far as I am concerned, Gary is joining Chelsea."