Barcelona Club continues its strenuous efforts to seal a deal for a new striker to lead the Catalan team's offensive line next season, amid ongoing negotiations to secure the Argentine Julian Alvarez, while alternative names emerge on the table of sports director Deco.
Spanish newspaper "AS" revealed that Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis, star of Portuguese Benfica, is among the options on the table for the Catalan administration as a backup plan in case the Alvarez deal falls through.
Interest in Pavlidis increased following the severe injury suffered by Ilie Junior Kroupi, who will be absent from the pitches for a period ranging between 3 and 4 months due to a metatarsal fracture, which puts Barcelona in urgent need to bolster its attacking ranks.
Although Pavlidis does not top the club's priority list, his technical specifications and clear scoring abilities, as well as his relatively low cost compared to other alternatives, make him an attractive option for the sports management.
The future of the deal is closely linked to Ferran Torres' position, who still enjoys the trust of coach Hansi Flick, as the club seeks to renew his contract, but his potential departure during the current transfer period will give Deco wider room to maneuver in the transfer market.
Pavlidis has an impressive scoring record, having scored 30 goals and assisted 6 others in 53 matches in all competitions last season, after joining Benfica for 18 million euros from Dutch club Alkmaar in 2024.
The 27-year-old player strengthened his position this week by scoring a quadruple against Swiss St. Gallen in the qualifiers for the Europa League, bringing his name back into the European spotlight.
Pavlidis holds a special memory with Camp Nou fans, where he scored a historic hat-trick in just 29 minutes against Barcelona during a Champions League group stage match last season in Lisbon, becoming the fastest player to achieve this feat against the Catalan team in European competitions, despite the Blaugrana's eventual 5-4 victory in a thrilling match.