TBR Football can exclusively confirm Benfica’s stance on striker Vangelis Pavlidis amid interest from the likes of Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Fulham and Everton.
Strikers are set to be in demand this summer and the likes of Newcastle, Forest, West Ham, Fulham and Everton are expected to also strengthen their attacking ranks.
Newcastle are likely to let Callum Wilson once his contract expires, while Forest currently have just two strikers on their books and West Ham could also do with attacking reinforcements.
Likewise, Fulham and Everton aren’t especially well stocked up front, and so there could well be a race for the services of Pavlidis, one of the most in-form strikers in Portugal.
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Benfica unwilling to lose Vangelis Pavlidis this summer
However, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Benfica are making it clear that they do not want to lose Pavlidis this summer.
We can confirm a number of Premier League clubs are back on the trail of the 26-year-old, who has been one of Europe’s most consistent performers in recent years.
Pavlidis has hit double figures in each of his last six seasons, including this term, with 24 club goals in all competitions – the same as Alexander Isak’s current tally for Newcastle.
This included Pavlidis’ historic hat-trick in the recent 4-1 thrashing of rivals Porto, which saw him become the first ever Benfica player to notch a treble in the Dragao.
Pavlidis arrived at Benfica last summer for €20million (£17million) and at that time, a host of Premier League clubs had done detailed checks on him and were considering a bid.
We can now confirm that once again he is on the radar of a host of English clubs with Newcastle, Forest, West Ham, Fulham and Everton are all keeping tabs on his progress this season.
However, Benfica sources have told TBR Football that they are not looking to sell and to get him they would demand his release clause – which is around £80million.
What Vangelis Pavlidis could bring to the Premier League
At 26 years of age, Pavlidis is entering his prime as a striker and, given his record over the past few years, he would surely fancy his chances in the Premier League.
As per scouting outlet Breaking the Lines, Pavlidis is a ‘prolific goal-scorer’ who ‘also boasts a strong ball control ability and is capable of snuffing out chances with his shrewd positioning in the opposing half and his excellent shooting accuracy.’
Meanwhile, FBRef have suggested that Pavlidis is similar in style to the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Nicolas Jackson and Hugo Ekitike, along with Harry Kane, Omar Marmoush and Isak.
