Manchester United are on the hunt for a striker and a very good option has just passed the club by.
Last summer Manchester United spent £64 million on signing Danish international striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Now after Anthony Martial’s contract expired, Manchester United need to sign another striker.
Whether there is another £64 million to spend on a striker, is another matter. The club need to manage the budget a little more effectively, at least until player sales kick in.
One potential bargain has just been taken off the board, with Benfica snapping up one of Europe’s most prolific strikers.
Vangelis Pavlidis signs for Benfica
Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis has become one of the most prolific strikers in Europe over the past three seasons at AZ Alkmaar.
He scored 33 goals last season, 22 the year before, and 25 before that. His record for the Dutch club stands at 80 goals in 147 matches.
At 25-years-old, Pavlidis was primed for a bigger move – and he has got one, signing for Benfica for just £15 million.
Benfica have already added a huge release clause to Pavlidis’ contract, with Mais Futebol reporting it stands at £80 million.
We saw last season how a move to Portugal led to Viktor Gyokeres becoming one of the most valuable strikers in Europe.
The former Coventry City striker scored more than 40 goals for Sporting last season and would now cost a similar £80 million fee to prise away. It is a fee too high for United to act on interest.
Look out for Vangelis Pavlidis shooting his way onto the radar of many bigger clubs next season if he continues his AZ form in Portugal.
Manchester United need to buy at the right time
Was Vangelis Pavlidis the answer for Manchester United? For £15 million, it would have been a relatively cheap gamble to take. He could have been ideal competition for Rasmus Hojlund.
Manchester United do not have a big budget and need take these type of low-cost risks in the transfer market, as opposed to taking big-money risks.
There is no such thing as a ‘sure thing’ when it comes to transfers. Manchester United know this well.
Look at the millions spent on Jadon Sancho, Antony, Angel di Maria and the like, who have failed to justify their huge fees.
Even record signing Paul Pogba did not provide value on the £89 million spent for his signature.
Manchester United are attempting to address this. New talent spotter Christopher Vivell is renowned for securing high value transfer deals.
With Ineos‘ structure behind him, Manchester United might start being a little quicker to the punch when it comes to signing top talent, and sign them before their values inflate – and not after.
