Barcelona are reportedly taking a step back in the race for Benfica man Vangelis Pavlidis, who has a release clause of £85.9m in his current contract.
Barcelona have reportedly been put off by the €100m (£85.9m) price-tag of Benfica forward Vangelis Pavlidis.
The Catalan club are still on course to clinch a quadruple this season after advancing through to the Champions League semi-finals at the expense of Borussia Dortmund earlier this week.
Focusing on Pavlidis, the towering forward has enjoyed a brilliant debut campaign in the Primeira Liga since a £15m switch from AZ Alkmaar last summer.
The striker has netted 15 goals and provided five assists across 29 top-flight appearances, making him Benfica’s talisman at the top end of the pitch.
Bruno Lage’s men are wrapped in a tightly-fought title race with Sporting Lisbon, who are ahead of their big rivals at the summit of the standings on goal difference.
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Barcelona put off Pavlidis move?
According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Barcelona have taken a step back in the race for the highly-rated services of Benfica and Greece star Pavlidis.
The report states that the Catalan giants have been ‘put off’ a move for the striker by a hefty €100m (£85.9m) release clause in his current deal.
Hansi Flick’s side are not alone in their fondness of Pavlidis, who is also supposedly caught the eye of Conference League favourites Chelsea.
It is understood that there is interest in the forward from elsewhere in the Premier League, with Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Everton keen on the player.
Although it is believed that all of the aforementioned clubs could afford Pavlidis’s wages, it remains to be seen whether any of them are willing to trigger the £85.9m release clause.
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An old-fashioned forward
In an era of false nines and small forwards, Pavlidis has an old-school nature in his game, a quality which has reaped plenty of rewards over the past 18 months.
The 26-year-old bagged a staggering 33 goals for AZ Alkmaar during the 2023-24 campaign, including three goals in last term’s Conference League.
Pavlidis is on course to match that tally this season, having already netted 25 goals, with the Greek target man bagging seven strikes in the Champions League.
