FC Barcelona opens contract talks with Hamza Abdelkarim after pre-season fireworks

FC Barcelona has opened contract talks with Hamza Abdelkarim, the 18-year-old Egyptian striker who turned pre-season into a personal audition reel. The club is looking to revise his terms significantly, with reports pointing to a planned increase in his release clause from €15 million to €150 million, a tenfold jump that signals just how seriously Barcelona’s hierarchy is taking this kid.

Abdelkarim scored four goals across three pre-season friendlies in August 2026, including one against his former club Al Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy.

From Cairo to Camp Nou, at warp speed

Abdelkarim only joined Barcelona on a loan deal from Al Ahly in February 2026. Four months later, the club made the move permanent for an initial fee of €1.5 million, with a 15% sell-on clause baked in.

Born on January 1, 2008, Abdelkarim is one of the youngest footballers to make a genuine first-team impression at a club of Barcelona’s stature. His current contract runs until June 30, 2029, which means he signed that deal at 17. Before joining Barcelona’s B team, he netted six goals in 11 appearances for the U-19 side following his loan move.

He has been training with the first team under head coach Hansi Flick, though the expectation is that he will begin the 2026-27 season with Barcelona Atlètic, the club’s reserve side.

A World Cup at 18, and still counting

Abdelkarim is already a full international. He represented Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which means he has experienced tournament football on the biggest possible stage before turning 19.

What the contract renegotiation actually means

Barcelona renegotiating a young player’s contract this quickly is worth reading carefully. The club does not reopen contract talks on a whim, especially when the original deal only closed in June. This is a response to something concrete: four goals in three games and a set of performances that clearly changed the internal conversation about where Abdelkarim fits in the long-term picture.

Raising the release clause to €150 million is the headline number, but the broader revision likely touches other terms too, wages, bonuses, possibly the sell-on clause structure. The original 15% sell-on retained by Al Ahly becomes a different conversation if Barcelona is now treating Abdelkarim as a €150 million asset.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.