Contract clause to scupper bid

Liverpool could miss out on January transfer target Nuri Sahin because of a special clause in his contract, reports in Germany have revealed.

The Turkish playmaker has been instrumental in Borussia Dortmund's surge to the top of the Bundesliga this season and has recently attracted interest from England, Italy and elsewhere within Germany.

His club are reluctant to sell but, according to reports, his contract contains a clause that would prevent Dortmund from standing in his way should a club "challenging for titles" make an offer of £5million.

This would include Serie A high-flyers Juventus and Lazio, who are both interested in doing a deal from Sahin.

However, with Liverpool languishing in 12th place in the Premier League, just four points off the relegation zone, this contractual clause would rule them out of the bidding.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.