Barcelona Defender Left Embarrassed as Benfica Fail in Attempt to Terminate Loan Deal Early

Douglas Pereira is between a rock and a hard place - as it has emerged neither his parent club, Barcelona, nor his current, Benfica, wish for his services.

Douglas joined the Blaugrana from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2014, signing a five-year deal as to add depth to the squad.

Though destined for a back-up role, the Brazilian still struggled for game time, and made little over 110 minutes of action over the course of his first two seasons in La Liga.

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Subsequently, Douglas was loaned out to Sporting Gijon, making twenty starts in the Spanish top flight, before returning briefly and being shipped off to Benfica.

Once again, minutes became a rarity as the 27-year-old has only managed to make the one Primeira Liga appearance for the Portuguese champions, albeit also featured in half the Champions League matches.

Despite being fit for the vast majority of his time in Lisbon, Sport report Benfica no longer wish to keep Douglas at the club, and actually tried to cancel the season-long loan.

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However, Barcelona declined such a wish, unwilling to pay the defender's wages.

Not wanted by either his parent or current club, it is a bitter pill for Douglas to swallow, who has seen Alejandro Grimaldo make the very same leap but flourished with flair.

Douglas' deal with the Catalans expires in 2019, and it remains to be seen what next season lies ahead, with the fate of his current campaign seemingly sealed by contract.