Barcelona plan major contract boost for teenage striker Hamza Abdelkarim

Barcelona are working towards renewing the contract of 18-year-old Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim after his impressive performances in pre-season, with the club considering an increase in his release clause from €15m to €150m.

The young forward has earned the confidence of manager Hansi Flick after scoring four goals in five friendly appearances. With Barcelona yet to sign another striker, Abdelkarim is regarded as one of the options to lead the attack in the club’s opening La Liga fixture against Elche.

Spanish newspaper Sport gave Abdelkarim prominent coverage on its front page on Saturday, using the headline: “Hamza… for now”.

The report says Barcelona want to secure the striker’s long-term future, but the renewal is not expected to be completed soon. The club is working on the proposal, although it has more urgent priorities to address before the transfer window closes.

Barcelona are also linked with a move for Inter striker Lautaro Martinez. That interest has emerged as negotiations for Julian Alvarez have become more complicated, while Atletico de Madrid are unwilling to allow their leading player to join a direct rival in La Liga.

Abdelkarim finished pre-season as Barcelona’s top scorer. He scored twice against Birmingham City, once against Basel and once against his former club Al Ahly.

Barcelona are due to face Elche on Sunday before meeting Athletic Club on the following Thursday in a rearranged fixture from the first round of the league season.

The matches involving Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid were postponed because of their players’ involvement in the World Cup. The postponements were also intended to give those players a longer period of rest, in accordance with the regulations.

Abdelkarim’s progress has attracted praise from two African players who have previously represented Barcelona.

Former Barcelona player Jean Marie Dongou told Sport: “Hamza is a player with an innate goalscoring instinct, and he is good at playing inside the penalty area. His goalscoring movements are top-class, although he still needs to improve many aspects of his game, as he lacks some spontaneous movements.”

Keita Balde, the Senegalese forward who plays for Monza, also spoke positively about the teenager.

“I was told last year that Barcelona had signed an excellent Egyptian striker, so I followed his news and found him to be a very interesting player,” he said.

Balde added: “If Barcelona cannot sign Alvarez, I would choose Lautaro and keep Hamza as a substitute so he can develop gradually.”

The immediate future of Abdelkarim therefore remains uncertain. Barcelona want to renew his contract and substantially increase the protection provided by his release clause, but their current priorities mean the agreement is unlikely to be finalised in the near future.