Barcelona close to signing Hamza Abdelkarim on loan; purchase option details also revealed | OneFootball

For quite a few days now, one developmental bet that FC Barcelona have been heavily linked with is Hamza Abdelkarim, the Egyptian wonderkid. The Catalan club has engaged in long-drawn negotiations with his current club, Al Ahly.

Barcelona reached an agreement on personal terms with the player a long time ago. However, negotiations with Al Ahly have proven far more difficult, but it does look like the deal has reached the finish line.

According to SPORT, the Catalan club will sign the teenager on an initial loan with an option to buy permanently for around €3m as a fixed fee and €5m in add-ons. Hamza will extend his Al Ahly contract by a solitary year before moving.

Al Ahly are keen to extend his deal to keep control over his future in the event that Barcelona do not sign him permanently. Once all three parties reach a final agreement and sign the paperwork, the deal is expected to go through.

Abdelkarim will then link up with Juliano Belletti’s Barcelona Atlètic squad and continue his development with them. Should he progress as expected, there will be no hesitation from Barcelona’s side to trigger the clause and make it permanent.

Of course, there is the small hiccup of Financial Fair Play. Barcelona need to determine whether they have the room to sign the teenager, but considering how advanced the deal is, there should be the green light on that front.

The next few days could see Hamza Abdelkarim become a Barcelona player. Let us wait and see how these transfer negotiations progress.