“Barcelona informed the EFA that the player should return in the coming few hours as the procedures of his stay and work permit are almost done, and that requires his attendance to end the papers himself and attend the training sessions,” the EFA said in a statement on its official Facebook page.
Just three weeks after joining Barcelona, the 18-year-old player was called up for the current camp amid the young Pharaohs’ preparations for the African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
On 1 February, Barcelona announced the signing of Abdelkarim from Cairo giants Ahly on loan until the end of the season with an option to make the deal permanent.
Barcelona was in intensive talks to sign the Egyptian player in January, taking pole position amid reported interest from other European clubs, such as Bayern Munich, Olympique Lyon, Manchester City, and AC Milan.
The Catalan club reportedly offered Abdelkarim a six-month loan until June 2026 with a 4-million-euro purchase option, aiming to strengthen their reserve side, Barça Atlètic, amid a shortage of fit natural forwards.
Abdelkarim became the first Egyptian player to join Barcelona.
Abdelkarim, who came through Ahly’s youth ranks, made nine appearances with the Cairo giants: one in the Champions League, six in the Egyptian League Cup, one Premier League appearance, and another one in the Egypt Cup.
He has been a standout performer for Egypt’s youth teams, helping the team win the 2024 UNAF Under-17 tournament and scoring twice at the 2025 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations, despite Egypt exiting at the group stage.
His profile rose further at the 2025 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar last November, where he scored two goals and provided an assist in the group stage, earning man-of-the-match awards, including against Angola, as Egypt reached the round of 16.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO_Sports and on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.)
Follow us on:
Short link: