Tottenham Hotspur are scouting Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis amid his fantastic form at Benfica, according to a report, though they are not frontrunners for his capture.
Pavlidis made his name at AZ in the Netherlands, hitting 80 goals in 137 games for the club to earn an €18million switch to Benfica in July 2024. Since then, he has notched 74 goals and 22 assists in 123 matches for the Portuguese giants.
Pavlidis is currently in the form of his life, as he has already managed 14 goals and three assists in just 13 appearances for Benfica this term.
Tottenham were linked with the 27-year-old in June, and such speculation has now resurfaced.
CaughtOffside claim Spurs are ‘eyeing’ a transfer for Pavlidis, as they have been ‘scouting him extensively’ in recent months.
Spurs have made the January signing of a new centre-forward a ‘top priority’, and Pavlidis is emerging as a leading target after impressing their scouts.
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The report adds that Barcelona, Aston Villa, Fulham, AC Milan and Juventus are all keeping tabs on him, too.
The report goes on to explain why Barca can be considered frontrunners.
‘Pavlidis is understood to be open to a move to the Premier League, but I’m also told that Barcelona could be viewed as a really tempting option for him,’ it reads.
Barca replaced Robert Lewandowski with Gabriel Jesus over the summer after missing out on No 1 target Julian Alvarez.
However, they could soon kickstart a deal for a more efficient striker than Jesus, and that is where Pavlidis may come in.
Tottenham target Pavlidis to cost big money
Pavlidis’ contract with Benfica runs until June 2029, and it includes a huge €100m (£85m) release clause. That puts Marco Silva’s side in a very strong negotiating position.
Benfica are determined to keep the 61-cap international in January, meaning Spurs and Barca may have to wait until next summer to engineer a deal.
Roberto De Zerbi asked Spurs to sign a new No 9 over the summer as he does not trust Richarlison, while Dominic Solanke has struggled with injuries.
Spurs missed out on Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi but managed to snare Omar Marmoush. The latter has joined Spurs on a loan-to-buy deal worth £60m.
Richarlison is poised to leave Spurs in January after being left out of their Premier League squad.
Pavlidis, in contrast, is seemingly being eyed by De Zerbi to compete with the likes of Marmoush and Solanke.
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