Barcelona Athletic has completed all the official procedures that were hindering the joining of young Egyptian striker Hamza Abdel Karim (18 years old) to the team. His loan is expected to be officially announced in the coming days, with the possibility of activating a purchase option later. The player has already bid farewell to his teammates at Al Ahly of Egypt before traveling to Spain.

According to press reports, the loan will be without any financial compensation, with an option to purchase set at no more than 3 million euros, which could increase to 5 million euros if certain additional clauses in the contract are activated.

Since late December, Barcelona had been striving to finalize the deal, but Abdel Karim needed to obtain a work visa in Spain before signing the contract. With all procedures completed, the player is now very close to becoming the first Egyptian to wear the Barcelona Athletic jersey. Walid Salah El-Din, the football director at Al Ahly, confirmed that the deal is almost official.

In another context, the team witnessed the departure of striker Mamadou Mbaki (23 years old) to St. Louis City in the American league, while Barcelona Athletic awaits confirmation of Andres Cuenca's (18 years old) departure to Como in preparation for his loan to Sporting, which opens the door for Abdul Karim to be registered in the team's roster.

Barcelona Athletic is also preparing to strengthen its ranks in the coming period with other young players, most notably the Uruguayan left-back Patricio Pacifico (19 years old), the Dutch defender Gwensley Onstein (18 years old), and the English winger Ajay Tavares (16 years old).