Al Ahly player Hamza Abdel Karim is close to joining Barcelona during the upcoming winter transfer window, following what could be considered a breakthrough in the coming hours between the various parties involved in the deal.
The 17-year-old is considered one of the most promising Egyptian players of his generation and has attracted the attention of several major European clubs besides Barcelona, such as Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon.
According to Egyptian media reports, Al Ahly officials have recently shown considerable flexibility in negotiations with Barcelona, but Mahmoud El Khatib’s administration refuses to let the promising star leave for a low fee, such as the one Barcelona initially offered.
In recent hours, Al Ahly has requested €1 million for a six-month loan of Hamza Abdel Karim, in addition to €4 million if the option to buy is exercised, plus bonuses related to the player’s promotion to Barcelona’s first team, while retaining 20% of any future transfer fee.
Barcelona is trying to lower these demands somewhat, especially since the bonuses requested by Al-Ahli’s management could bring the total value of the deal to €8 million. However, overall, things are progressing very positively between the two parties, and it is expected that the agreement will be finalized within the next few days.
It is worth noting that Abdulkarim, despite all the other tempting offers he received, remained determined to move to Barcelona and pressured Al-Ahli’s management to reduce their financial demands, which played a significant role in finalizing the agreement recently.
