Chelsea, Barcelona converge on history-making striker who stunned England

Chelsea, Barcelona and Newcastle United are among four sides hoping to snare Vangelis Pavlidis this summer following his fantastic season with Benfica, as per reports.

Pavlidis is a 26-year-old centre-forward who had spells at the likes of Bochum, Borussia Dortmund and AZ before arriving at Benfica in July 2024. Pavlidis scored 80 goals in 137 games for AZ before moving to Benfica in an €18m transfer last summer.

The 6ft 1in ace has adapted quickly to life in Portugal and has found the back of the net 24 times in 46 appearances so far.

Pavlidis registered a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Champions League group stage prior to Benfica’s exit in the round of 16.

Pavlidis made history on Sunday when he became the first Benfica player to net a hat-trick at the Estadio do Dragao, helping his side beat Porto 4-1. He has since been dubbed the ‘Greek God’ by members of the Lisbon press.

The Greece international could fire Benfica to a domestic treble, though his spell in Portugal might be short-lived.

According to Portuguese outlets Record and NOW Canal, Pavlidis is ‘on the route’ to joining a ‘European giant’ this summer.

Chelsea, Barcelona, Newcastle and Atletico Madrid are all keen on the attacker, while the list of interested clubs ‘continues to grow’.

Pavlidis’ great goalscoring exploits have caught the attention of Chelsea recruitment chiefs.

Enzo Maresca has requested the signing of a new No 9 to compete with Nicolas Jackson and Pavlidis is a new option on Chelsea’s list.

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Chelsea, Barcelona target valued at €100m

Pavlidis’ potential suitors feel he could quickly establish himself as a lethal scorer in either England or Spain given how he has lit up the Portuguese top flight.

The report adds that Benfica have no interest in losing their star forward, however. They will only sell for huge profit and are protected by his massive €100m (£86.5m / $112m) release clause.

Pavlidis proved he can compete against top opposition in October last year when he bagged a brace to help Greece complete a shock win over England at Wembley in the Nations League.

He gave Greece the lead in the 49th minute by showing good feet before firing into the bottom corner.

Jude Bellingham equalised for England in the 87th minute, only for Pavlidis to net an injury-time winner and send the travelling Greece fans wild.

Chelsea news: Different striker option; Jadon Sancho latest

While Pavlidis is thriving at Benfica, Chelsea fans will likely want a striker with experience scoring in the Premier League to arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that both Chelsea and Liverpool are in talks for an alternative 22-year-old striker.

Plus, reports claim Chelsea have ‘informed’ Manchester United of whether they will be signing Jadon Sancho permanently at the end of the season.

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