Liverpool hijack Newcastle's move for Munoz after triggering release clause

Liverpool have hijacked Newcastle's move for Osasuna winger Victor Munoz after triggering his release clause; Reds reached an agreement with the Spanish club; the 22-year-old is currently at the World Cup with Spain but completed a medical in the US, Munoz set to sign six-year deal

>Osasuna winger Victor Munoz has completed a medical after Liverpool triggered his £34.5m release clause.

>Newcastle were pursuing the Spain international but Liverpool have once again beaten them to a top target as they did with Hugo Ekitike last summer.

>Sky Sports News understands Munoz is expected to sign a six-year contract, and Liverpool will pay the transfer fee in two instalments.

>Liverpool have had a long-term interest in Munoz, which was accelerated by the arrival of new head coach Andoni Iraola, who knows the player well from his extensive knowledge of LaLiga.

>Munoz, currently with Spain at the World Cup, completed a medical in the US on Wednesday after Liverpool staff travelled to complete the checks.

>The Spanish Football Federation granted permission for Munoz to complete the formalities of the transfer.

>Munoz joined Barcelona's La Masia academy aged 11 before eventually making the switch to Real Madrid's youth team in 2023.

>Current Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso gave the winger his LaLiga debut for the first team in May 2025, introducing him as a substitute for Vinicius Junior against Barca.

>Munoz signed a five-year deal at Osasuna that summer and played 34 league games last season, scoring six goals and providing two assists.

>Liverpool had always planned to sign more than one winger this summer, as they look to replace Mohamed Salah, and Munoz's arrival does not end their interest in RB Leipzig's in-demand winger Yan Diomande, who is their top wide target this summer.

>However, the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international will be very hard to get over the line because of the widespread interest from top clubs in Europe and Leipzig's attempts to sign him to a new contract. The German club want more than £86m to sell.

>Liverpool wanted to add more flexibility to their forward line this summer and Munoz fits that bill. He has primarily been used off the left but can play on both wings and also has the capacity to play through the middle.

>As well as being a multi-functional attacker, Munoz is a direct winger who will add pace to Liverpool's attack which was another priority for the summer window.

>Munoz's versatility will provide Iraola with more options and gives Liverpool a greater ability to cope when injuries hit as they did last season as well as enhancing competition for places.

>His ability to play in numerous positions is also seen as a positive inside Liverpool because it he is unlikely to limit Rio Ngumoha's first-team opportunities.

>Federico Chiesa's future was always uncertain heading into the summer window after his opportunities were limited under former head coach Arne Slot.

>Iraola wants to give everyone a clean slate and there is a feeling inside Liverpool that the Italy winger is more suited to the Spaniard's style of football than Slot's.

>However, the arrival of Munoz combined with the likelihood of another signing in Chiesa's position complicates his chances of playing a bigger role under Iraola after Slot handed him just one Premier League start last season.

>The 28-year-old, who has two years left on his deal, has interest from Italy and wants to be a first-team regular. As it stands, it appears that might prove to be tough at Anfield.

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