Panathinaikos and PAOK were interested in signing 31-year-old Hungarian centre-forward Barnabás Varga, but AEK completed the transfer in January. At Panathinaikos, Papadimitriou made the choice to prefer Dessers. It was rumored that PAOK's manager, Lucescu, did not want the player, and it is also believed the club was hesitant due to a reluctance to pursue expensive transfers for players with limited resale value. Varga has 28 caps and 13 goals for Hungary. He joined AEK Athens on a contract until June 2029. Reports in January 2026 stated the agreed transfer fee was between €4.5 million and €5 million. He has a current Transfermarkt market value of €3.00m. Before the move, he had scored 10 goals with 4 assists in 17 domestic league appearances this season.