File Photo: Egypt’s Seif El-Deraa. AFP
El-Deraa will be the second Egyptian to wear Barcelona’s jersey, following in the footsteps of Ali Zein, who joined the Catalan club in 2021 before moving to Dinamo București after one season.
During his tenure, Zein helped Barcelona win the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, and Catalan Super Cup titles.
The 26-year-old El-Deraa has been a standout performer this season, scoring 99 goals in France’s Liqui Moly StarLigue and adding 57 more in the EHF European League.
"Egyptian first-liner Seif El Deraa, who can play as both a left-back and a center-back, will join FC Barcelona this summer," the club said in a statement on its official Facebook page.
"A key player for the Egypt national team, El Deraa will strengthen Barça’s squad when he joins the club this summer," the statement added.
El-Deraa, the younger brother of Yehia, has started his career at Heliopolis then moved to Zamalek in 2021 for just one year before starting his European career at Limoges in 2022.
Seif has been a key player for Egypt team since winning the bronze medal in the 2019 men's junior championship.
He won two African Championship titles in 2022 and 2024 and featured in the Olympic Games 2020 and 2024.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: