According to reports, Leeds defender Barry Douglas is set to leave Elland Road this summer once his contract expires with the Premier League club.
What’s the story?
The 31-year-old is currently spending the season out on loan at Championship side Blackburn and has been a near-permanent fixture in Tony Mowbray’s starting line-up, making 25 appearances in the league alone.
However, Football Insider now claim that, with his contract at Leeds coming to an end this summer, Marcelo Bielsa and co have no intentions of offering him a new deal to extend his stay in Yorkshire.
The report added that Douglas is set to follow Gjanni Alioski out the exit door this summer.
Ruthless call from Bielsa
Given how Douglas has only made 44 appearances for Leeds since joining from Wolves in the summer of 2018, the time has surely come for Bielsa to wave goodbye to the left-back this summer.
Speaking earlier this season, The Athletic’s Phil Hay hinted that the writing seemed to be on the wall for the £40,000-a-week earning Douglas at Elland Road, saying: “It tells its own story that Stuart Dallas is currently the best left-back at the club. There is interest, Watford are very keen, Blackburn have spoken about him.
“On the basis that he didn’t make the 18 against City, when Jack Harrison was unavailable, if, in those circumstances, Douglas isn’t in the 18 you know he’s on his way.”
Subsequent confirmation of his loan move to Blackburn really painted a picture of just how far his stock has fallen at Leeds, and why the club must make a ruthless call and just let him go as a free agent this summer.
Meanwhile, Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterclass for Leeds with this signing…