European side make move for 31-year-old despite Bristol City transfer interest | OneFootball

Barry Douglas may be departing British shores after being offered a contract by Italian Serie B side Brescia – despite their being EFL interest in his signature according to The Scottish Sun.

The 31-year-old spent the whole of last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, and his Leeds United contract expired this summer meaning that the left-back is now a free agent.

There was rumoured to be interest from his home nation in the form of Rangers and Celtic, but the leading party was thought to be Bristol City, according to The Mirror.

Left-back has been a problem position for the Robins recently due to a long-term Jay DaSilva injury, and Nigel Pearson saw Douglas as a potential option to bring into the fold.

That may still be the case, but Brescia have seemingly stolen a march on their other transfer rivals by offering Douglas a deal.

Quiz: What was the score the last time Bristol City played each of these 25 teams?

The Italian side are owned by controversial former Leeds chief Massimo Cellino, and a move abroad wouldn’t be an alien concept for Douglas as he’s played in both Poland and Turkey in the past.

The Verdict

Whilst Douglas may not have hit the heights of his one and only season with Wolves in 2017-18, where he had 14 Championship assists, he’s still a solid, reliable hand at this level and you can see why Bristol City are interested.

But if they are serious about Douglas then they’re going to have to get a move on as it seems as though Brescia have stolen a march on them.

You’d expect Douglas to have a few offers in both England and Scotland as well, especially now it’s known at least one team has put their terms on the table, and if they move quick enough then City could end up winning the race for the 31-year-old as considering he has a young family now, Douglas would surely prefer to stay where he is than jet off across Europe once again.