Sam Allardyce has revealed that Crystal Palace do not have an option to sign Mamadou Sakho permanently when the defender's loan spell from Liverpool comes to an end.
The Frenchman has played a significant role for Palace in recent weeks, which has seen the south London club rise up the Premier League table - although not yet free from the threat of relegation.
Allardyce has suggested they would be interested in keeping the 27-year-old beyond the end of the season but, despite paying an initial loan fee of £2m, it does not give them any special privileges over signing him on a permanent basis.
"There isn't a clause because his deal was done in the Bournemouth corridor by me after we had won 2-0, with Steve Parish (Palace chairman) finishing the negotiation over the phone.
"What a great deal that was. It was a negotiation on the final day of the transfer window.
"It was just about getting it done, getting the loan deal done, not haggling about other things other than just making sure we get him here.
"At the moment that has paid off for us. What happens in the summer can only happen in the summer and can only be talked about, for me, when we are safe.
"We are not safe and can't talk about Mama Sakho being a permanent deal here because we're still not safe and our position in the Premier League is not safe."