Barcelona’s Immediate Reinvestment of Dro Fernandez Fee Revealed

Barcelona are swapping one talented teenage for another while also turning a profit this month.

Dro Fernández is on his way to Paris Saint-Germain. | Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Al Ahly director of football Walid Salah El-Din has confirmed Barcelona’s acquisition of the Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim in a deal which goes hand-in-hand with Dro Fernández’s impending exit.

Abdelkarim emerged as a surprise target for Barcelona earlier this month. The 18-year-old center forward impressed at the U17 World Cup in November, scoring twice in the group stage as Egypt advanced to the knockout round. Upon his return to the reigning top-flight champions, Abdelkarim broke into the senior setup, becoming a regular in the Egyptian League Cup.

The nature of this unprecedented arrangement with Barcelona—Abdelkarim would become the first Egyptian to ever represent the club—has swung dramatically from completed to canceled and back the other way over recent days.

A fortnight ago, it appeared as though the “total agreement” which had been earlier reported was called off. Al Ahly were thought to have demanded that Abdelkarim agree a contract extension with the Egyptian giants before moving on loan to Barcelona to protect their own interests. The player and his father reportedly rejected these terms out of hand.

Now it appears as though a compromise has been reached.

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Hamza Abdelkarim Heading to Barcelona

Hamza Abdelkarim is one of Egypt’s most coveted young talents. | Mohamed Farag/FIFA/Getty Images

Al Ahly’s Salah El-Din is quoted by Mundo Deportivo as announcing Abdelkarim’s departure with spirits high on all sides involved. “Yes, Hamza Abdelkarim is going to Barcelona,” he said. “I wish him every success so that he can continue his career there and establish himself with Barça and not return to Egypt.”

The same report claims that Abdelkarim’s loan until the end of the season contains an option to buy worth €5 million ($5.9 million) which would be automatically triggered should he make five or more appearances for the club’s B team.

That figure just so happens to be marginally less than the fee Barcelona stand to gain from Dro Fernández’s sale.

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Barcelona ‘Agree’ Dro Fernandez Sale to PSG

Dro Fernández is on his way out of Catalonia. | Pedro Salado/Getty Images

News of Fernández’s surprise move to PSG filtered through earlier this month. The academy gem who had spent the summer catching Hansi Flick’s eye was not afforded enough playing time for his liking.

Flick didn’t take this development well, but no amount of public strops from the head coach was going to sway the head-strong 18-year-old.

After links with several Premier League and Bundesliga clubs, PSG emerged as the frontrunner—though quite why Luis Enrique’s reigning European champions would be easier to break into than Barcelona is not entirely apparent.

Nevertheless, Fabrizio Romano reported on Sunday that an agreement between the two clubs had been struck days after personal terms with Fernández had already been settled. Intriguingly, the French giants are expected to pay a “slightly higher” fee than the €6 million release clause which had been widely quoted.

Whatever the case, Barcelona have swapped one talented teenage forward for another while potentially turning a profit of €1 million.

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