Barcelona maintain complete confidence in the 18-year-old forward, even as his early performances present a mixed picture. Abdelkarim arrived in January as a signing for the youth setup, initially expected to slot into Barça Atletic. However, the club made a deliberate decision to integrate him more gradually by placing him in the Juvenil A side.
Manager Juliano Belletti's Barça Atletic has been heavily depleted, recently relying almost solely on winter signing Joaquin Delgado up front, alongside youth-registered Nuhu Fofana. The injury bug has sidelined several key figures, including Dani Rodriguez, Ibrahim Diarra, and, most recently, Oscar Gistau. Although Víctor Barbera has finally returned to field work, the ripple effect has deeply impacted Pol Planas' Juvenil A side, forcing the manager to reinvent Adrian Guerrero as a makeshift number nine.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Abdelkarim is waiting to obtain the work permit that will allow him to play for Barça Atletic. From the offices at the Ciutat Esportiva, it is stated that there is no exact forecast as to when the approval will be received. For now, he has already taken part in several training sessions since his arrival was announced on 1 February. However, the bureaucratic process continues at its own pace.
Barcelona are reportedly set to clinch the signing of young Egypt star Hamza Abdelkarim from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahly. The two clubs have been in negotiations for a little while now, with the teenager believed to be pushing for a dream move to Camp Nou. According to the latest from Egypt and Spain, Barca are now on the verge of completing a deal after reaching a breakthrough in negotiations.
According to Egyptian news outlet FilGoal, Barcelona are in advanced talks to sign Hamza Abdelkarim. The youngster currently plies his trade for one of Egypt's biggest clubs in Al Ahly, and was a regular for the Egyptian U17 team. At the age of just 17, Abdelkarim has already featured in four competitive matches for Al Ahly, but his future appears to be in Europe.