Rafa Benitez is demanding a new escape clause be included in his contract at Liverpool.

The Daily Mail says Benitez has still to reach agreement over a new contract and has hit a new snag with the club's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

After holding out for more control over transfers, the Liverpool manager now wants a clause inserted allowing him to walkaway if Hicks and Gillett sell up and he fails to develop a working relationship with their successors.

After their draw with Manchester City, the Spaniard continued to evade questions about his future and whether he felt a new deal might be signed shortly, saying: "I would rather concentrate on football matters."