Not long ago, Hamza Abdelkarim’s transfer was being treated as a done deal around Barcelona. Reports out of Egypt pointed to documents being exchanged, travel plans discussed, and a January arrival that felt like a formality. That momentum has faded quickly.
Instead of getting his bags ready to travel to Catalonia, the 18-year-old forward was back in an Al Ahly shirt this week. He played the final stretch of his team’s League Cup match against Pharco, a 4-1 win. For now, nothing has been signed off.
According to SPORT, the delay has little to do with Barcelona and everything to do with Al Ahly’s conditions for the move. The Egyptian club wants Hamza to extend his contract before authorizing a loan. Without that safeguard, they fear losing control of a player whose market value could rise after a spell in Europe. His current deal runs until 2027.
That request has not gone over well. Sources cited by SPORT say Hamza and his father have flatly rejected any renewal tied to the loan. The refusal has effectively frozen talks, although the fact remains that neither side has walked away.
This is a sharp turn from the picture painted earlier in January. Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona and Al Ahly had already agreed on a loan with an option to buy for 1.5 million euros, plus variables that could push the total close to five million and include a 15 percent sell-on clause. One version of the deal even made that option mandatory if Hamza reached five appearances with Barça Atlètic, something seen as realistic given the state of the reserve side’s attack.
There were also mixed signals around the contract extension itself. Egyptian journalist Mahmoud Shawky had suggested that Hamza was prepared to add a single year to his deal before leaving, after Al Ahly initially pushed for a much longer commitment.
Barcelona, publicly at least, have stayed silent. Internally, the move is said to be viewed as a way to reinforce a depleted Barça Atlètic forward line. That would allow them to monitor a player player with clear potential. Hamza has already debuted for Al Ahly’s first team and has been capped at Under-17 level with Egypt, credentials that made him stand out in a thin January market.
