Hamza Abdelkarim is forcing Barcelona to make a quick decision on his future. According to Mundo Deportivo, club sources admit that executing his permanent purchase option is now highly likely, even if the board has not officially announced the move.
The striker arrives at this turning point after a wild week where he made Egypt’s 27-man preliminary FIFA World Cup squad and immediately followed it up by scoring a brilliant chipped goal to beat UD Las Palmas 2-0 on Thursday night.
The permanent clause
is reportedly worth €3 million, plus up to €5 million including bonuses. Due to his rise and evident talent, Barcelona’s top brass is strongly leaning towards making the move permanent, according to rumor.
What’s unusual is that bureaucratic paperwork has actually blocked him from playing under Juliano Belletti for Barça Atlètic. He has spent his entire stint since arriving in February tucked away in Pol Planas’s U19 setup instead.
Some say that Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan took a massive gamble by naming an academy player to a World Cup roster. But the Egyptian federation had sent scouts to follow his progress for weeks, and if he survives the final squad cut, the 18-year-old will share a tournament dressing room with stars such as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush.
We saw exactly why the national team is paying attention during the semifinal win in Alcalá de Henares. In the 41st minute, Quim Junyent created an opening with a quick bit of skill, Orian Goren slid a pass into the channel, and Hamza subtly lifted the ball over the keeper with his right foot. Winger Álex González scored a second late in the game to guarantee a youth Clásico against Real Madrid this Sunday.
Hamza has been dynamic ever since Barcelona became aware of him at the U17 World Cup in Qatar late last year. He adjusted to European football almost instantly, finishing the regular season in early May with a 15-minute hat-trick during a 9-0 thrashing of Montecarlo.
