Al-Ahli’s coffers are being restored. How much did Barcelona pay to sign Hamza Abdel Karim?

Barcelona announced on Wednesday the purchase of Egyptian striker Hamza Abdel Karim (18) from Al-Ahly, confirming the level of confidence in their new project, turning him from a youth loanee to a player owned by the Catalan club.

The deal, which began last January on loan until June 30, ended quicker than many expected as Hamza, who arrived at La Masia in the winter Mercato, did not feature with the first team but played his entire season with the Juvenil A team under coach Paul Planas.

there Hamza Abdel Karim performed at remarkable levels and scored crucial goals in the Champions CupThis prompted the technical staff to submit a positive report to the sports management led by Deco.

Although Barcelona did not officially disclose the financial details in their first statement, Al-Ahli club settled the dispute through a statement published in their official accounts. Al-Ahli have confirmed that Barcelona have activated the purchase option agreed in the loan agreement.

How much did Barcelona pay to Al-Ahli treasury?

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the clause’s activation fee was 1.5 million euros, in addition to variables and add-ons related to performance and future participations, which had been agreed since January, and Barcelona chiefs deemed it a “low-risk investment” for a player with a high development margin.

Barcelona’s choice was not sentimental, as since Deco’s arrival the club has had a clear policy of attracting young talent at reasonable prices, developing them at La Masia, then either promoting them to the first team or selling them at a profit. This is the same model used for Senegalese Mika Fay, who signed for €1.5m from Croatian side Kostocia in the summer of 2023 before being sold to French side Rennes for €10.3m a year later.

Hamza Abdel Karim will leave Barcelona temporarily in the coming days, not to return to Cairo, but to join the camp of Egypt’s first national team participating in the 2026 World Cup starting next Friday. Notably, the player has been selected to wear the number 9 jersey with the Pharaohs, which shows the huge stakes on him despite his young age.

Thus, the curtain officially falls on the first direct deal in history between Al-Ahly and Barcelona, ​​with Hamza Abdel Karim becoming the first Egyptian player to sign a permanent contract with the Catalan club.