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The Athletic: Departing Leeds United man open to club reunion after Elland Road exit confirmed

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Soon-to-be-departing Leeds United full-back Barry Douglas could be rejoining Blackburn Rovers on a permanent deal, as he remains open to the possibility.

Leeds said their farewells to Barry Douglas at the beginning of the 2020/21 season as he joined Blackburn Rovers on-loan for the season.

He still had a year left on his contract, but it was already understood that he would be departing Elland Road upon the expiry of that deal anyway.

Douglas spent the whole season at Ewood Park as Tony Mowbray’s side slumped to an eventual 15th-placed finish despite scoring a staggering 65 goals this season.

Douglas joined Blackburn in the hope that he would finally be able to get himself fit for a full season after two stop-start campaigns at Leeds prior.

Injuries and minor setbacks have been rife in Douglas’ Leeds career and he can take pride in how regularly he was able to play for Blackburn.

30 league appearances and two assists later and his loan has come to an end, but it seems as though the door is still open for a permanent contract at the club. The left-back was part of the group that will see their contracts not extended in Leeds’ retained list.

Now, The Athletic have revealed in an interview with the 31-year-old that he is very much open to the possibility of signing for the Championship outfit on a permanent contract:

He’s open to discussions with Blackburn over a permanent deal but is keeping all options open.

Having had a tough time at Leeds with injuries, he managed much more regular playing time under Mowbray and that could stand him in good stead when looking for a contract, be that at Blackburn or elsewhere.

I hope Douglas can source a good move this summer, whether that be at Blackburn or elsewhere.

No one can fault his commitment and it’s such a shame he couldn’t keep fit because he was outstanding at Wolves.

When he signed, it seemed like a huge deal for us to tie up and he started very strongly at home to Stoke and away to Derby, but his fitness scuppered any chance of consistency.

There shouldn’t be a shortage of clubs happy to take him though, given what he’s done in the Championship in the last four years.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.