Overview
- Hamza Abdelkarim scored twice in Barcelona’s friendly at Birmingham, converting a penalty and following up a goalkeeper’s rebound to finish his chances.
- Hansi Flick praised Hamza’s movement and mentality, and the 18-year-old fast-tracked from Barcelona Atlètic after joining in January and featuring for Egypt at the World Cup.
- The display reduces immediate pressure to sign a traditional centre-forward but does not settle Barcelona’s longer-term search for a classic No.9.
- Barcelona has already signed Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi to refresh the attack, but both players have a wide, mobile profile that differs from a target striker.
- The club reported a €100 million proposal for Julián Álvarez that Atlético Madrid called well below his release clause, and Ferran Torres’s future is unclear with PSG interest and one year left on his contract.