Time is ticking for Eddie Howe and Newcastle United must end their striker woes before the start of the upcoming Premier League season, with at least one needed.
With Alexander Isak still adamant about moving to Liverpool, it’s looking increasingly likely that Anthony Gordon will start down the middle against Aston Villa on the opening weekend.
A wider net has now been cast across the continent, with Porto star Samu Aghehowa linked alongside domestic option Nicolas Jackson and Yoane Wissa; who is the one name likely to sign.
But with multiple targets identified and two new forwards wanted, another name has now emerged after a 30-goal season in Portugal…
According to The Sun’s chief reporter Jack Rosser, Newcastle have added Benfica and Greece striker Vangelis Pavlidis to their shortlist of striker options.
He reports that Newcastle officials travelled to watch the 26-year-old in a Champions League qualifier in Nice last Wednesday, which ended in a 2-0 win for the Portuguese giants.
Pavlidis may be a familiar name, as he produced a stunning brace for his country to beat England 2-1 at Wembley back in October before going on to bag 30 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.
But, like a lot of Benfica’s recent exports like Darwin Nunez, he will be very expensive, with a £87m release clause in his contract.
While that fee would come down in negotiations, Bruno Lage’s side will be looking to fetch a tremendous profit for a player who joined last summer for £18m.
The Sun had previously reported that Pavlidis was amongst Manchester United’s own back-up options should they have failed to land Sesko, so it wouldn’t come as any surprise if other clubs in Europe have the striker on their radar as well.