Barcelona have made a serious move for Egyptian forward Hamza Abdel Karim, the club's striker this season.
Reports last Friday claimed Barcelona plan to hand Hamza Abdel Karim a new deal, hiking his release clause from 15 to 150 million euros.
Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed as much on his account on the "X" network: "Barcelona have already begun negotiations with Hamza Abdel Karim and his representatives regarding the renewal of the player's contract on improved terms".
You can discuss topics and news in greater depth on the Kooora forums
Romano went on: "Barcelona want to remove the release clause in Hamza's current contract, which stands at 15 million euros".
He concluded: "No agreement has been reached so far between the club and the player, and the matter is not considered urgent by the Blaugrana officials, but Barcelona want to settle the player's situation".
The urgency is clear enough. Hamza Abdel Karim is the only out-and-out striker in the Barcelona squad as they open their La Liga campaign.