Barcelona may end up paying over €5 million for 18-year-old attacking starlet | OneFootball

Despite failing to feature in a single minute so far this season, there is a lot of excitement in the Barcelona camp surrounding Hamza Abdelkarim.

With Julian Alvarez unlikely to join Barcelona, many believe Abdelkarim could emerge as the in-house solution for coach Hansi Flick, as far as finding the ideal number nine is concerned.

Barcelona’s coaches had already worked with Hamza during pre-season to help him become the ideal forward for the club.

And as the wait for him to make his first appearance continues, a recent report from Egyptian news outlet WinWin (h/t SPORT) has provided some key details about Hamza’s contract with Barcelona.

Key details of Hamza’s Barcelona move

The report reveals that Al Ahly initially loaned Hamza to Barcelona for six months free of charge, but the agreement included a purchase option of €1.5 million, which the Catalans have since activated.

Hamza is rated highly at Barcelona. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)

Al Ahly received €750,000 at the end of last month as the first payment, with a second instalment of €750,000 due next January.

Beyond that, various performance-related variables come into play. Al Ahly will earn a further €750,000 once Hamza plays five official matches of at least 45 minutes each, a figure that can rise progressively to a maximum of €2 million.

There are goal-based bonuses too, with Al Ahly set to receive €300,000 when Hamza reaches five goals, potentially climbing to €1.5 million.

In total, the variables could push the overall cost beyond €5 million, with Al Ahly also retaining a sell-on percentage.

Will Hamza get a chance soon?

The question now is when Hamza might actually get his opportunity, and the early signs suggest he may have to be patient.

Flick is impressed by Barcelona’s current attackers.(Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona have made a perfect start to their title defence, thrashing Elche 5-0 before edging Athletic Club 2-0 at Camp Nou, and they have done so without a recognised centre-forward.

Raphinha has excelled as a false nine with three goals in two games, while Fermin Lopez has also chipped in, and Flick has been thoroughly happy with the output.

That fluid, striker-less system, combined with the depth of Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Anthony Gordon, Adeyemi and Dani Olmo, means opportunities may be limited for Hamza in the immediate term.

However, with no new number nine arriving and a long, demanding campaign ahead across multiple competitions, the young Egyptian is likely to get his chance at some point, particularly in cup competitions or when Flick opts to rotate.

For now, Barcelona are trying to tie the player down to a long-term contract, which would see his salary and release clause being increased.