Celtic’s decision to include a clause in their pre-contract agreement for Ben Davies, led to the 25-year-old pulling out of a move to Parkhead, according to reports in England.

The centre-back was all set to agree a switch to the Scottish champions when his contract expired in the summer but the Hoops wanted a guarantee that he wouldn’t be injured when he arrived for pre-season training.

Davies hesitated on signing the agreement, as it would have likely meant him sitting out the second half of the season at Preston. However, Liverpool’s intervention forced the defender into another rethink.

The Reds had a £1.5m bid accepted by Preston to sign him during the January transfer window and the player opted to make the move to Anfield instead.

It is not a surprise that Davies chose the Premier League champions ahead of Celtic but it seems the Scottish club’s decision to include the clause may have been the key reason behind the player being able to make the switch happen.