Club confirms Barcelona signing of World Cup striker | OneFootball

Barcelona completed the signing of Anthony Gordon earlier in the summer, and they have now finalised their latest transfer – and it’s for another player that will be playing in the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Back in January, Barcelona secured an agreement with Al Ahly to take Hamza Abdelkarim on loan for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. The 18-year-old had impressed at the U17 World Cup months prior, and the Catalans saw him as a very interesting option for their forward ranks in La Masia.

Abdelkarim spent the majority of his time in Catalonia with the U19s, with whom he impressed enough to land a somewhat surprising call-up to the Egypt squad for the 2026 World Cup. Barcelona have been equally as impressed with the development he has shown since arriving, which is why they have moved to secure his services on a permanent basis.

Al Ahly (via MD) have confirmed that Barcelona have activated the buy option in their loan agreement from January, believed to be worth in the region of €1.5m. The Catalans see the move as a no-brainer, given the promise he has shown since arriving at the club during the 2026 winter transfer window.

Abdelkarim won’t be last youth signing of the summer

Image via Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Over the last 12 months in particular, Barcelona have taken a keen focus in strengthening La Masia with the addition of high-potential players. Abdelkarim was one of those to arrive in January, and there are sure to be a number of signings made over the course of the summer transfer window, which opens for business at the start of next month. He also won’t be the last striker to sign, although it is looking very unlikely that the one to follow him in will be Julian Alvarez.

For now, it remains to be seen who joins, but Barcelona fans will be able to get a glimpse of Abdelkarim when he’s in action for Egypt during the upcoming World Cup.