Barcelona's Commitment to Hamza Abdelkarim Grows as Contract Talks Progress

Barcelona are not blinking over Hamza Abdelkarim. Not after a quiet start to La Liga, not after two league games without a single minute for the teenager. The club have decided: the roadmap for the young Egyptian striker stays exactly as it is.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, the faith inside the club and within Hansi Flick’s staff is unwavering. Publicly, his absence from the opening league fixtures might raise eyebrows. Internally, it changes nothing.

Abdelkarim, just 18, finished the summer as Barça’s top scorer in pre-season, a statement run that underlined why the club are so invested in his trajectory. Flick still sees him as a genuine first-team option, a weapon off the bench in an attack already packed with talent.

The transformation has not been purely technical. Physically, the forward has taken a clear leap. Already built like a classic No 9, he has followed a specific conditioning programme drawn up for him, and the results show: more power in the legs, more strength through the torso, a body now shaped for the demands of elite football.

His spell with Egypt’s senior national team at the last World Cup accelerated that process. He came on in the closing stages of most games, a series of high-pressure cameos that hardened his competitive edge. Those minutes, brief but intense, have convinced Barcelona that Flick now has a player capable of handling the top level, even if the club accept that several development steps still lie ahead.

Plan for the Season

For this season, the plan is crystal clear. Sport reports that the club intend to keep Abdelkarim registered with Barcelona Atletic, where he has been handed the No 29 shirt. That registration was no afterthought. From day one, it was designed to guarantee him regular football whenever he is not involved with the first team.

Barcelona are realistic. They know his first-team minutes under Flick will fluctuate as the season wears on. That is why they view Juliano Belletti’s side as the perfect environment to maintain his rhythm, sharpen his instincts and avoid the stagnation that can stall a young striker’s rise.

There is another layer to the commitment. Sport adds that the club are already working on a contract renewal for Abdelkarim, a move that would lock in one of the most intriguing prospects in their system and align his future even more tightly with the project taking shape at Montjuïc.