Victor Munoz's move from Osasuna to Liverpool came as quite a surprise after Newcastle appeared to agree a deal for the Spanish winger, who is currently at the World Cup
Luke Thrower Trends Writer
14:40, 18 Jun 2026Updated 14:41, 18 Jun 2026
Victor Munoz was set to join Newcastle, but he's since snubbed the Magpies to sign for Liverpool
Victor Munoz was set to join Newcastle, but he's since snubbed the Magpies to sign for Liverpool(Image: (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images))
Newcastle was told to wait on a medical for Victor Munoz just before Liverpool hijacked a deal to sign the winger from Osasuna this summer.
It came during a topsy-turvy few days for the Spanish international star, who has been at the center of interest from several different clubs in the transfer window. Out of them all, Newcastle appeared most likely to get a deal over the line. The Magpies refused to pay the release clause included in Munoz's contract, but had managed to negotiate a fee with the team that was deemed acceptable.
Having also agreed terms with the 22-year-old, it seemed as though it was only the formalities of a medical and then the signing itself that could get in the way of another new signing for Eddie Howe's team.
However, according to Chronicle Live, at the last moment, the Premier League outfit was told to hold fire by the player's representatives, even though a medical had been planned in America, where he is taking part in the World Cup with Spain.
That was because the news had reached Munoz's camp of Liverpool's triggering of the release clause in his contract, totaling $46 million.
That accelerated a move in the Reds' favor, as suddenly the winger's priority shifted from moving to the North-East of England to moving North-West.
Munoz is part of Spain's World Cup squad
Munoz is part of Spain's World Cup squad(Image: (Photo by Ion Alcoba Beitia/Getty Images))
In the end, Liverpool moved quickly and took the initiative on getting a deal over the line, agreeing a six-year deal with the exciting Spaniard, even with interest from Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen.
That delay from the representatives may have helped the hijack go through, and it's not the first time the Merseyside outfit has left their Premier League counterparts frustrated in the transfer window.
Just last summer, the Reds hijacked a deal to sign Hugo Ekitike, who looked set to join Newcastle as their new number nine option for the future.
Shortly after that, the club then pushed to land Alexander Isak for a club-record and league-record transfer fee, rubbing even more salt in the wounds of their rivals.
This summer's move for Munoz is yet another one that will leave Newcastle annoyed and moving on to other targets in the transfer market as a result.
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For Liverpool, the roster now has a player who has plenty of quality and pace, as well as some potential to get even better in the future.
That appears to be the theme of the transfer targets for the window, as the recruitment team shows no signs of letting up in its pursuit of such stars.