Stoke City defender Kevin Wimmer is at real risk of seeing his playing time at Bundesliga club Hannover 96 grind to a halt.
Hannover snapped up Wimmer on loan for the season in the summer, following Stoke's relegation from the Premier League, and paid the Potters a fee of €1.5m.
The agreement also allowed Hannover to sign Wimmer permanently for a fee of €12m.
However, a further clause was inserted which will compel Hannover to pay the €12m fee to turn the loan into a permanent transfer if Wimmer plays 24 competitive games.
The centre-back has struggled to make an impact at Hannover this season and the club are wary of the clause kicking in, according to German magazine Kicker.
So far Wimmer has featured in eleven competitive games for the Bundesliga club.
With Hannover wary of triggering the clause by fielding Wimmer in 24 competitive games, he could see his playing time cut in the second half of the season.
It remains to be seen if Stoke would be prepared to drop the clause, which could open the way up for Wimmer to feature heavily for Hannover; he has been an unused substitute for two of the club's last three Bundesliga games.
