Parramatta Eels superstar signing Kieran Foran has a clause in his multimillion-dollar contract that would allow him to walk out on the four-year deal if the club slips into the political turmoil that has dogged so much of its recent history.
Fairfax Media can reveal Foran has a clause in his contract which means he can renege on his deal or leave Parramatta at any stage throughout his four-year contract if the struggle for power at the much-maligned club spills over after this weekend's Leagues Club elections and results in upheaval at management level.
Foran has already denied having a clause in his contract in relation to Eels coach Brad Arthur, who was a major reason the five-eighth walked away from Manly to sign a lucrative deal with Parramatta, but the prized recruit is conscious a management restructure could also bring about a change of coach.
The loophole in Foran's contract isn't directly related to Arthur but he has a clause in relation to club administration and management in his favour that would allow him to exit the club at any stage throughout his deal.
Foran is leaving a club that has had its fair share of bitter feuds and conflict at management level in recent years, keen to avoid a repeat of the scenes that led to close friends Glenn Stewart and Anthony Watmough leaving Manly at the end of last season.
The Kiwi playmaker is well aware of Parramatta's turbulent history at board and management level, which is why he requested the clause was added to the contract he signed in March.
The Sea Eagles are desperate to find any leverage to keep the representative five-eighth at Brookvale Oval beyond the end of the season and are no doubt keeping a close eye on what happens at the Eels in the coming weeks.
Much of the talk in recent weeks has been about the NRL's controversial round 13 get-out option, however Foran has been adamant he won't renege on his promise to join the Eels next season.
But this weekend's Parramatta Leagues Club elections could have huge ramifications on Foran's future at the club.
The revelations of Foran's get-out clause come a few weeks after speculation his Manly halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans was considering reneging on his deal to join the Gold Coast Titans next year, however the Sea Eagles No.7 has since tried to put the speculation to bed.
Despite uncertainty surrounding the future of Cherry-Evans, the 24-year-old Foran has no intention of using the round 13 clause to renege on his agreement with the Eels, however the get-out clause at the Eels has been put in place for the duration of his time at the Eels as a precautionary measure.
Speculation has been rife about Cherry-Evans' future over the past month, which only escalated when Manly chief executive Joe Kelly and Cherry-Evans' management were spotted meeting with Fox Sports in April, believed to be discussing a media deal that would entice him to remain in the northern beaches.
Cherry-Evans has since fronted the media to try and ease the speculation but the Sea Eagles still have until round 13 to convince the representative half-back to remain at the club which handed him his debut back in 2011.
