Barcelona's Striker Search: Alvarez or Pavlidis?
Barcelona’s search for a new No.9 has a clear first choice. But the back‑up plan is starting to take shape as well.
According to Spanish outlet AS, Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis is high on a shortlist drawn up by sporting director Deco as Barcelona brace themselves for the possibility that their pursuit of Julian Alvarez collapses.
Alvarez chase hits a wall
Barcelona want Alvarez. Alvarez wants Barcelona. On paper, it looks simple.
In reality, Atletico Madrid are slamming the door shut.
The Argentina international is under contract at Atleti until 2030, and the club are not entertaining a sale. AS report that Barcelona have already seen a €100 million offer rejected, with the Rojiblancos digging in and even going a step further off the pitch: Atletico have allegedly lodged a complaint with FIFA, accusing Barca of overstepping the mark in their approach for the forward.
For Barca, who are desperate to replace Robert Lewandowski after his move to Chicago Fire, the clock is ticking. If there is no breakthrough on Alvarez in the coming weeks, Deco and his recruitment team will have to pivot.
That is where Pavlidis enters the frame.
Pavlidis, the late‑rising option
On AS’s list of alternatives, Pavlidis is said to be among the first names. The Greek international only joined Benfica from AZ Alkmaar in 2024, but he has wasted no time making himself impossible to ignore.
Last season, he scored 30 goals and added six assists in 53 games in all competitions. That kind of output always gets noticed at elite level. One particular night, though, will have burned his name into Barcelona’s memory: in the Champions League league phase, Pavlidis tore into their defence with a first‑half hat‑trick inside the opening half-hour, even as Benfica eventually lost a wild game 5-4.
For a club searching for a ruthless penalty-box presence, that kind of statement performance lingers.
From Bochum hopeful to Benfica spearhead
Pavlidis’ route to the top has been anything but straightforward.
At 16, he left Greece chasing the Bundesliga dream, joining the youth ranks of VfL Bochum. The breakthrough never came. Bochum sent him on loan to Borussia Dortmund II, then on again to Willem II in the Netherlands, a move that quietly changed his career.
In the Eredivisie, Pavlidis finally caught fire. Willem II made the deal permanent, and his form there drew the attention of AZ Alkmaar. In 2021, AZ paid what now looks like a bargain €2.5 million for the striker, who kept scoring and steadily built a reputation as one of the league’s most reliable finishers.
That consistency opened the door to Benfica. In Lisbon, he has stepped onto a bigger stage and continued to deliver.
Benfica’s stance: hands off
All of which makes Barcelona’s potential Plan B deeply complicated.
AS report that Benfica have little interest in cashing in. Pavlidis is under contract until 2029, and new coach Marco Silva, who took over this summer from Jose Mourinho (now at Real Madrid), considers him central to his plans.
Pavlidis underlined that status in emphatic fashion on Thursday. With Benfica trailing 2-1 from the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie against St. Gallen, the Greek forward simply took over the return match in Lisbon. He scored the first four goals in a 5-0 win, turning the tie on its head almost single-handedly and firing Benfica into the third qualifying round.
Next up: Heart of Midlothian of Scotland. Another stage, another chance for Pavlidis to show why Europe’s giants are circling.
For Barcelona, it leaves a stark question. If Atletico keep the door bolted on Alvarez and Benfica refuse to budge on Pavlidis, where does Deco turn for the striker who will lead the post-Lewandowski era at Camp Nou?
