FC Barcelona is aiming to complete the signing of Egyptian forward Hamza Abdel Karim next week so that the player can join the team in early January, according to a report by the Spanish newspaper "Sport."

Negotiations between the Catalan club and the Egyptian club are still ongoing, and the final decision now rests with Al Ahly president Mahmoud El Khatib, who is currently in Morocco following the Africa Cup of Nations.

Al Ahly initially rejected the second offer from Barcelona, which proposed a six-month loan of the player free of charge, with an option to buy for a fixed amount of 1.25 million euros, plus additional bonuses of up to 4 million euros depending on the player's performance with the team. The Egyptian club would also retain a 10% stake in any future sale of the under-19 international forward.

Al Ahly believes that the offer presented is low compared to the player's potential if he excels with Barcelona, and has requested a higher fixed amount along with more flexible performance-based bonuses to achieve it.

On the other hand, Barcelona considers this their final offer, as Hamza Abdel Karim has not yet established himself in Al Ahly's first team. However, he is regarded as one of the most promising Egyptian forwards at the moment and has attracted attention with his performance in the Under-17 World Cup.

Barcelona is confident about reaching an agreement in the coming days, especially given the club's desire to quickly sign the player to meet the attacking needs of the reserve team.

The player also prefers to join the Catalan team and rules out accepting any other European offers, despite interest from clubs such as Bayern Munich, Lyon, and Milan. He has reached a preliminary agreement for three and a half years, pending approval from both clubs for the final deal.