Barca lock down Haaland of the Nile Hamza Abdelkarim until 2030

New deal for Egyptian starlet

Barcelona have moved quickly to tie down teenage striker Hamza Abdelkarim to a new long term contract. The 18 year old Egyptian signed a deal on Tuesday that keeps him at the club until 2030.

The new agreement includes a salary increase and a massive buyout clause. Sources say the release clause is now set at more than 100 million euros to scare off other clubs.

Abdelkarim first joined Barcelona last January to play for the reserve team, but he ended up playing for the under 19 side. The club made the move permanent in June, paying Egyptian side Al Ahly an initial fee of 1.5 million euros. His rapid rise during preseason forced the Spanish club to upgrade his previous contract, which ran until 2029.

Learning from Erling Haaland

The young forward has earned the nickname "Haaland of the Nile" after some impressive performances. He scored four goals in five friendly games during preseason under manager Hansi Flick.

Abdelkarim is happy with the comparison to the Manchester City star. He said that Haaland is an amazing striker and that he always finds something to learn from him to improve his own game.

The teenager made his senior debut for Egypt in May. He went on to play in four World Cup games before Argentina knocked his country out in the round of 16. After very little time off, he returned to Barcelona for preseason.

He made his LaLiga debut in August against Rayo Vallecano and has been in the squad for all six games this season. Abdelkarim is currently the third choice striker behind Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus. Flick also has Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon, Fermin Lopez, and Karim Adeyemi as options to play in the middle.