Hamza Abdel Karim has reached a defining moment. The 18-year-old Egyptian forward's Barcelona future hinges on a series of transfer deals being worked on by sporting director Deco, even after the youngster sacrificed his holiday to convince coach Hansi Flick of his ability.
Catalan newspaper "Sport" reported that the coming weeks will decide the player's fate, with the team due to travel tomorrow, Monday, to the East Midlands for a preparatory training camp at St George's Park in the United Kingdom. There they will spend a full week getting ready for the 2026/2027 season.
A sacrifice for the chance
Having featured for the Egypt national team at the recent World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Abdel Karim cut short his summer holiday to join Flick's sessions early two weeks ago. The move laid bare his determination to earn a place in the German's project.
He started the training match against CE Europa in the number 9 shirt and impressed across his 45 minutes on the pitch, despite failing to find the net.
A promising talent with encouraging numbers
They rate him highly around the Camp Nou, thanks to his distinctive attacking style and his ability to play with his back to goal, on top of being a classic-style striker.
Six goals in 10 matches during just two months with Barcelona's youth team last season earned him a first senior call-up, and he went on to play 57 minutes across four matches at the World Cup.
The management's plan and multiple scenarios
According to the newspaper, the sporting management want to keep the forward close to the first team. He will train regularly under Flick, act as a back-up striker when needed, and join the reserve team during spells when his playing time dries up.
A loan move is not off the table either, giving him a chance to test himself in a league above the Spanish second division.
Deco's deals will determine the fate
Yet Abdel Karim's future rests largely on Deco's work in the market. The sporting director is still hunting for a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with Argentine Julian Alvarez the number one target, though Atletico Madrid's refusal to sell their star has pushed the technical staff to weigh up alternatives.
Ferran Torres adds another twist. The European champion's contract with Spain expires on 30 June 2027, and he is drawing interest from several clubs, most notably Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain. His exit could hand Abdel Karim a far bigger opportunity.