Barcelona teenage forward’s father shuts down January exit speculations

Barcelona youngster Hamza Abdelkarim is not considering the possibility of leaving the club in the upcoming January transfer window, his father has confirmed.

Indeed, Mohammed Abdel Karim, the 18-year-old starlet’s father, has firmly shut down speculations linking him to a winter move to Italian side Como.

A difficult season for Hamza Abdelkarim

Barcelona signed Hamza from Al-Ahly in the winter transfer window earlier this year, bringing him on loan for six months.

With the teenage striker impressing heavily with Juvenil A during that period, the Catalans activated the permanent purchase clause option in the summer window.

Hamza was straight away brought into the senior team for pre-season, with the squad being short on strikers following the exits of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

And, the 18-year-old made the most of his chances, finishing pre-season as the top scorer with four goals. But once the actual campaign started, the Egyptian international has barely featured.

With Raphinha establishing himself as the undisputed starter at centre-forward and Gabriel Jesus arriving as backup, Hamza has only played 12 minutes of first-team football.

On occasions, he has dropped down to the reserve and Juvenil A squads to get minutes and maintain his rhythm, even scoring in his only start with Barça Atletic.

No January exit

Given his situation, rumours of a potential departure on loan in January had started to do the rounds as we get closer to the mid-season transfer window.

However, his father has dismissed those rumours, insisting that there will be no departure for the youngster in early 2027.

Speaking to Eram News (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Mohammed Abdel Karim described the reports linking his son with Como as entirely fabricated.

“What’s being said about Hamza leaving Barcelona isn’t true, and the rumors about his transfer to Como in Italy are fabricated,” he said.

Despite Hamza’s lack of minutes with the first-team setup, the striker and his camp remain confident that his time will come eventually.

As such, there is no consideration being given to the idea of leaving Barcelona on loan in the winter transfer window.