Barcelona are increasingly confident that Egyptian teenager Hamza Abdelkarim can provide an alternative solution in attack, allowing the club to take a measured approach to their pursuit of Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.
The 18-year-old has impressed manager Hansi Flick during Barcelona’s preparations for the new season, scoring both of his side’s goals in a friendly against Birmingham City. His performance has strengthened his case for remaining with the first team as the club considers how to fill the gap left by Robert Lewandowski.
Spanish newspaper Sport reports that Flick has been particularly impressed by Abdelkarim’s displays in pre-season. The forward is now regarded as one of the young players capable of contributing if Barcelona are unable to sign a world-class replacement for Lewandowski.
Promising Egyptian talent
Abdelkarim, who has already represented Egypt at a World Cup despite his age, is among the emerging talents Barcelona are considering as part of their attacking plans. He is being assessed alongside new arrival Jesse Bisseou as a potential option in the central forward role.
Flick believes both players can make an impact when required, even though they remain inexperienced. Barcelona also have considerable attacking strength elsewhere, with Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres available, while Dani Olmo can operate as a false nine.
The club’s confidence in Abdelkarim comes as Barcelona face substantial difficulty finding a striker capable of matching Lewandowski’s level. The Poland international has been one of the most prolific forwards of the modern era, and players of comparable quality are rarely available in the current transfer market.
Alvarez situation remains unresolved
Barcelona have made a €100m offer for Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid have yet to respond to the proposal. Instead, the Madrid club has publicly criticised Barcelona through a social media campaign and comments from officials Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Enrique Cerezo.
Those complaints have also been recorded in a formal legal case. This week, Atletico submitted an official complaint against Barcelona to the Royal Spanish Football Federation and world governing body Fifa.
Barcelona’s lawyers are reviewing the matter as they prepare their legal response, while the case remains under investigation.
Alvarez has publicly expressed his desire for Atletico to negotiate his departure. Speaking during the World Cup, the Argentina forward said he believed a transfer would be best for all parties, and made clear that he considered his time at Atletico to be over.
He also wants to fulfil his ambition of playing for Barcelona. Atletico, however, have rejected his request and continue to insist that they will not negotiate his transfer.
The date of 10 August could prove significant, with Alvarez scheduled to return to training then. People close to the player say he still feels Atletico misled him after promising that they would discuss his departure, adding another layer of tension to the dispute.
No rush to find another striker
Barcelona have explored other attacking options as sporting director Deco continues to assess the market. However, the club is still waiting for the Alvarez situation to be resolved before deciding whether to make another major move.
Should Alvarez fail to join, Barcelona do not intend to rush into signing an alternative striker. Abdelkarim and Bisseou are viewed as promising options who could be trusted to contribute, particularly if the club’s existing forwards remain available.
Flick believes Barcelona already possess an attack of sufficient quality to compete for every trophy. That assessment depends on no members of the current forward line leaving, but it gives the club relative calm while the summer transfer window enters its final stages.
