Barcelona can wait on Julian Alvarez with Hamza Abdelkarim emerging as an option

Barcelona are increasingly prepared to rely on 18-year-old Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim as a potential solution to the attacking gap left by Robert Lewandowski, while their attempt to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid remains unresolved.

Spanish newspaper Sport reports that Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has been impressed by Abdelkarim during pre-season. The teenager strengthened his case for a place in the first-team squad by scoring both of Barcelona’s goals in their friendly against Birmingham City.

That display has increased the likelihood of Abdelkarim remaining with the senior team, rather than being moved away from Flick’s immediate plans.

Abdelkarim is regarded as one of the most promising young players Barcelona could use to help compensate for Lewandowski’s departure. He is also being considered alongside new arrival Jesse Bisiouo as part of the club’s developing attacking options.

Despite their limited experience, Flick believes both players can make a contribution if called upon. Barcelona already possess a varied forward line featuring Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres, while Dani Olmo can also operate as a false nine.

The club’s confidence in Abdelkarim comes as Barcelona face significant difficulty in finding a world-class centre-forward to replace Lewandowski. The Poland international has been one of the leading goalscorers of the modern era, and players of comparable quality are rarely available in the current transfer market.

Alvarez transfer remains unresolved

Barcelona have reportedly made a €100m offer for Alvarez, but Atletico Madrid have yet to respond to the proposal.

Instead of answering the bid, the Madrid club has publicly complained about Barcelona through a social media campaign and comments from officials Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Enrique Cerezo. Those complaints have also been formally documented in a legal claim.

This week, Atletico submitted an official complaint against Barcelona to the Spanish Football Federation and world governing body Fifa. Barcelona’s lawyers are now examining the case as they prepare their legal response, with the matter still under investigation.

Alvarez has previously made clear during the World Cup that he wants Atletico to negotiate his departure. The Argentina forward believes a transfer would be in the best interests of all parties and has said that his time at Atletico has ended.

He also wants to fulfil his ambition of playing for Barcelona.

Atletico have ignored that request and continue to refuse to negotiate over the player’s departure. The situation could become more significant on 10 August, when Alvarez is scheduled to return to training.

People close to the forward say he still feels Atletico misled him after the club promised to discuss a possible transfer. That belief has added to the tension surrounding the dispute.

Barcelona avoiding a rushed decision

Barcelona have explored other possible targets to fill the space left by Lewandowski, with sporting director Deco continuing to assess options in the transfer market.

However, the Catalan club is still waiting for clarity over Alvarez. If the Argentina international does not move to Barcelona, the club does not intend to rush into signing another striker.

The emergence of Abdelkarim and Jesse Bisiouo has given Barcelona alternative options while the transfer situation develops. Flick believes he already has an attack capable of competing for every available trophy, provided none of the current forwards leave.

That belief has allowed Barcelona to approach the remainder of the summer transfer window with relative calm, even though the future of their pursuit of Alvarez remains uncertain.