After his "meteoric rise": Barcelona place Hamza Abdelkarim among three strategic targets
The Egyptian striker turned heads during the pre-season period.
Barcelona closed the summer transfer window last Tuesday with the signing of five players. Sporting director Deco knows exactly where the club stands on financial fair play after these reinforcements, factoring in the gap left by departing players who also took up a significant chunk of the wage bill, as with Lewandowski, Rashford and Ferran Torres.
That chapter now shut, the sporting management is turning to securing its strategic players, according to Spanish newspaper "Marca".
The Catalans didn't want to open renewal talks while the window was still ajar. Every effort at that point went into hunting for players and arranging the expected exits.
Now the window has slammed shut, the time for renewals begins. Three main targets stand out: Marc Bernal, Hamza Abdul Karim and Xavi Espart.
Contacts over Marc Bernal have already begun. Deco met the player's agent last August, immediately after the club signed Rodri.
That meeting had two aims. First, to make clear that the Spain captain's arrival would not stall Bernal's progress, because Barcelona rate him extremely highly. Second, to table an offer to improve and extend his contract.
His deal runs until 2029, and the club wants to add two more years. They'll also sweeten his financial terms in light of the excellent form he's showing.
Barcelona want no surprises with Bernal. They know plenty of clubs are ready to pay huge sums for him, whether for his technical quality or his tender age.
Meteoric development
Another urgent improvement concerns Hamza Abdul Karim. The Egyptian forward's rise has been meteoric. At the end of last season, Barcelona activated the purchase option for 1.5 million euros after he broke into Egypt's World Cup squad.
In the United States, he played a few minutes and left a very good impression, according to "Marca", and he was the team's top scorer during pre-season with Barcelona.
His current release clause of 15 million euros has clearly become outdated given this relentless progress. Deco will therefore work to improve the forward's contract and raise the clause to 150 million euros.
The club want to tie the Egyptian down and see the role he'll play this season. He is competing with some of the best players in the world, and the signing of Gabriel Jesus does him no favours.
Third on the list is Xavi Espart. The academy graduate has become one of the biggest surprises of pre-season and the opening league games since settling into the left-back berth.
Barcelona will improve his contract in recognition of his fine level. His current deal expires in 2028, so the renewal cannot wait long.
