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Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur target Vangelis Pavlidis is being sounded out over a move by Turkish giants Besiktas.
Pavlidis has enjoyed a prolific campaign in front of goal in Portugal, with the 27-year-old striker scoring 30 times in all competitions for Benfica.
The Greece international featured in 33 of Benfica’s 34 league games this season, underlining both his consistency and fitness.
Benfica finished as the second-highest scorers in the Liga Portugal, highlighting the 27-year-old’s influence in attack.
With the summer transfer window approaching, Pavlidis has attracted Premier League interest, with Aston Villa and Tottenham both keen on the Benfica hitman.
However, Spurs and Villa now face competition from Besiktas, who are not wasting any time as they bid to take the striker to Turkey.
According to the Turkish outlet Fanatik, Besiktas’ president was in Madrid recently and in meetings ‘tested the waters’ over a swoop for Pavlidis.
Club Years Bochum 2016-2019 Borussia Dortmund (loan) 2018-2019 Willem II (loan) 2019 Willem II 2019-2021 AZ Alkmaar 2021-2024 Benfica 2024- Vangelis Pavlidis’ career history
It is suggested that they managed to get permission to speak to the striker directly and will wait to see how open he is to moving to Besiktas this summer.
Pavlidis still has three years left on his contract and, given his current form, Benfica are expected to demand a significant fee from any club looking to sign him.
Tottenham will be looking to bolster their attack ahead of next season after Dominic Solanke endured an injury-plagued season, missing more than half the season due to injuries.
Randal Kolo Muani is also due to return to Paris Saint-Germain from his loan at Spurs.
Aston Villa, who ended their 30-year wait for a major trophy by defeating Freiburg in the Europa League final, will aim to strengthen their squad ahead of Champions League football.
There could still be the sense at Villa Park that the club have still not properly replaced Jhon Duran.
Villa are also keen on winger Jonathan Rowe and could make a solid move for him soon.
With Besiktas already a step ahead for Pavlidis, it remains to be seen who makes the next move to sign the Benfica striker.