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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.
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Liverpool are poised to scoop up top Colombian talent Samuel Martinez, who has been on Tottenham Hotspur‘s radar, and he is ‘just a few details away’ from moving to Anfield.
Martinez, 17, has been turning heads with his performances at youth level in his native Colombia, where he is on the books at Atletico Nacional.
He played in, and helped Colombia win, the Under-17 South American Championship earlier this year.
Martinez turned on the style when it mattered most, scoring in the final three matches, including the final itself, as Colombia beat Argentina to pick up the trophy.
A host of top European clubs are keen on the attack-minded midfielder, including Tottenham, who have been widely linked with him, and Borussia Dortmund, whose scouts have been impressed.
It is though Liverpool who are rapidly closing in and Martinez ‘is just a few details away’ from becoming a new Reds player, according to Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra.
Liverpool have been ‘outbidding other European giants’ for Martinez, who is set for a five-year deal at the Premier League side.
He will stay at Atletico Nacional, who will bank $1m from the sale, until he turns 18 years old.
Liverpool will be trusting the Colombian side to continue their final development work with Martinez before he can head over to Merseyside.
Beating off substantial competition for Martinez is a coup for Liverpool and hands them a top prospect to slot into the youth ranks.
Newly crowned Premier League champions Arsenal were also linked with Martinez, while Spurs have made a habit of hoovering up young talents, including Lucas Bergvall, Souza and Archie Gray.
Liverpool though have won the day and look to have convinced Martinez about a pathway into the first team at Anfield.
The Reds’ Under-21s, where Martinez may first be handed an opportunity, finished seventh in the Premier League 2 this season before going out in the playoff last 16 phase.
How long Liverpool see the midfielder as remaining within their youth set-up remains to be seen, but Rio Ngumoha’s progress is likely to have caught Martinez’s eye.
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Fiorentina are tipped to not keep Leeds United loan star Jack Harrison and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon due to the cost of the respective deals.
La Viola brought in Harrison and Solomon on a loan deal in the second half of the season, in a bid to secure their Serie A status, with a relegation battle raging.
Since then, the Tuscan outfit have managed to get out of the relegation dogfight and are currently safe in 15th place with 41 points.
However, Harrison and Solomon have both proven to be underwhelming acquisitions for the club, and the pair have a combined goal contribution of three in 29 outings in Serie A.
Harrison in particular, received heavy criticism from ex-Championship striker Sam Parkin after one outing, and the 29-year-old has not helped himself with his performances on the pitch as of late.
Solomon is on his third loan spell since joining Tottenham and he has been keen to stay on at Fiorentina, recently being tipped to ‘do everything’ to extend his stay in Florence.
Fiorentina do not look to be convinced though and, according to Italian daily La Repubblica (via Firenzeviola), they are ‘considered costly’, with departures expected.
Now it appears Tottenham will have Solomon back in the summer, while Harrison will head back to Leeds, with neither option to buy being triggered.
Harrison struggled to make an impact at Leeds during the first half of the season after previously being on loan at Everton.
Solomon joined Spurs from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023 and has been sent out on loan at Leeds United, Villarreal, and Fiorentina, while being unable to cement his place in their lineup due to limited opportunities.
Both Harrison and Solomon have two years left on their current contracts, leaving Leeds and Spurs to make an important decision on their future.
The Whites have secured their Premier League status and will turn their attention to strengthening the squad for next season in the summer under manager Daniel Farke.
Spurs meanwhile are still in danger of being relegated to the Championship, and in that scenario might have to structure an overhaul in their squad with arrivals and departures.
It remains to be seen where Harrison and Solomon will be playing their trade next season, as both the attackers’ futures are uncertain at their parent clubs.
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Former Marseille star Maxime Lopez believes Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi wears his heart on his sleeve too often, but insisted the Italian was not to blame for his disappointing end at Marseille.
De Zerbi was appointed by Marseille in 2024 and guided the club to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 in his debut campaign, sealing a return to Champions League football in the process.
However, this season, the Italian manager left the club by mutual consent in February, and in his absence, Marseille have also missed out on Champions League qualification.
The 46-year-old head coach joined Tottenham in a bid to secure their top-flight status, but a former Spurs star claimed the club have lacked creativity and energy under the new boss.
Lopez, who played under De Zerbi at Italian club Sassuolo, opened up about the personality of his former boss and how it impacted his managerial stint at Marseille.
The 28-year-old midfielder is also an academy graduate of Marseille and revealed that De Zerbi’s way of communication can only work once and not ten times.
He also stressed that the French side could have done much better and that their difficult season was not solely down to De Zerbi.
Lopez said on the Winamax FC show: “Knowing him personally, I know he took things too much to heart.
“In Marseille, that kind of message works once, but not ten times.
“They could have done much better, but it’s not all down to De Zerbi.”
De Zerbi’s sudden departure from Marseille deeply hurt defender Facundo Medina, despite suggestions that the dressing room was not entirely harmonious under the Italian manager.
The former Marseille boss requires a point or more on the final day of the season to secure Spurs’ top-flight status, an achievement that could earn him hero status, according to a former Lilywhites manager.
Tottenham have endured the second-worst home record in the league, collecting just 12 points at N17, and will hope to finally make home advantage count against Everton on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to secure their safety.
With De Zerbi set to stay on next season whatever happens, his methods will be thoroughly tested at Tottenham, who proved this season with the exits of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor they are not opposed to quick managerial changes when results and performances go south.
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