Egypt striker Hamza Abdelkarim is relishing being nicknamed the “Haaland of the Nile” after signing a new contract with Barcelona on Tuesday.
Abdelkarim, 18, only joined Barça permanently in the summer but he has already been handed a new deal until 2030 after scoring four goals in preseason and drawing comparisons with Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.
The new terms include a salary bump and an increased buyout clause to keep potential suitors at arm’s length, with sources telling ESPN the clause is now fixed at over €100 million ($115 million).
“When someone asks me which players I look up to and learn from, I think Haaland is an amazing striker,” Abdelkarim said in a news conference after signing the new contract.
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“He has a lot of strengths. Always when I watch him, I find something I can learn from him and something I can do to improve my game.
“We all know how good he is at scoring goals. He’s always in the right place. That’s something you can learn. I can see why you’re saying [I am the] Haaland of the Nile.”
Abdelkarim first joined Barcelona last January. Initially announced as a signing for the club’s reserve team, he actually ended up playing for the U19 side last season.
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In June, Barça exercised an option to make the move permanent, with the striker moving from Egyptian side Al Ahly for an initial fee of €1.5 million ($1.7 million) on a contract until 2029.
However, following a breakout summer with Egypt and Barça’s senior sides, the Spanish champions have moved quickly to extend and improve the teenager’s deal.
Abdelkarim made his senior debut for Egypt in May and went on to feature in four of their five World Cup games as the Pharaohs suffered a round-of-16 exit at the hands of Argentina.
He then returned to Barcelona after minimal time off to take up the opportunity of doing preseason with Hansi Flick‘s squad.
After scoring four goals in five friendly appearances, he made his LaLiga debut in August against Rayo Vallecano and has been part of the Barça squad for all six of their fixtures so far this season.
Abdelkarim is currently Barça’s third-choice striker behind Raphinha and Gabriel Jesus, although Flick has said Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon, Fermín López and Karim Adeyemi are also options to play through the middle.
