Hamza Abdelkarim faces Barcelona fight as Catalan report lists Flick’s striker options without him

Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim has reportedly been left out of Hansi Flick’s attacking plans at Barcelona for next season, despite travelling with the first team for their pre-season camp in England.

Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo has drawn up a list of forwards the new German coach is expected to consider, but the 21-year-old, who recently joined permanently from Al Ahly, was not mentioned among the options.

Abdelkarim signed for Barcelona in the current summer transfer window after a successful loan spell with the club’s reserve side during the second half of last season. His performances for the ‘B’ team were described as impressive and helped secure him a place at the 2026 World Cup with his national team.

Yet, according to the Catalan outlet, Flick is looking elsewhere as he reshapes his attack for the coming campaign.

Mundo Deportivo sets out Flick’s preferred attacking options

While noting Barcelona’s ongoing efforts to recruit a new centre-forward, Mundo Deportivo reported that Flick may rely on several versatile forwards already in the squad if the club fail to land their primary transfer targets.

The report said Flick could use new signing Karim Adeyemi, who has arrived from Borussia Dortmund, as an out-and-out striker. It added that he is also considering Spain international Ferran Torres, fellow Spaniard Dani Olmo and highly rated teenager Lamine Yamal as alternatives in the central attacking role.

In drawing up this list of internal options, the newspaper did not include Abdelkarim among the possible candidates to lead the line, despite his form with the reserves last term. No explanation was given in the report for his omission.

Abdelkarim is currently part of a 30-man Barcelona squad preparing for the new season at a training camp in England, underlining that he remains in the wider group available to Flick as he assesses his resources.

Transfer targets: Kroupi and Alvarez in focus

Mundo Deportivo, citing French outlet L’Equipe, also reported that Bournemouth have turned down two formal offers from Barcelona for French forward Eli Kroupi. Both bids were said to be worth less than €100m, and the Premier League club is understood to have rejected them.

Kroupi is being viewed as a potential signing if Barcelona fail to secure their preferred target, Argentina international Julian Alvarez. The article stated that Alvarez, currently at Atletico Madrid, remains the first-choice option for the centre-forward role as the Catalan club look to fill the void left by the departure of Poland striker Robert Lewandowski.

However, according to the same report, Atletico Madrid have insisted they do not wish to part with Alvarez during the current summer transfer window, complicating Barcelona’s pursuit.

With external targets proving difficult to land and internal options being evaluated, Abdelkarim’s absence from the list of forwards highlighted by Mundo Deportivo suggests he may have significant work to do to break into Flick’s immediate first-team plans in attack.