Osasuna sporting director Braulio Vázquez has insisted they didn’t even listen to Sunderland’s attempts to sign Víctor Muñoz in January.
Diario de Navarra cover comments from Vázquez today. He was speaking at a recent press conference, in which he was asked about Sunderland and Muñoz.
The Black Cats moved for the 22-year-old at the end of the January transfer window. Sport Witness have covered that since, explaining how they made multiple bids for the winger. They reportedly made an initial €20m bid before upping that to €25m.
Osasuna weren’t interested, even with Eliezer Mayenda included as part of the deal. They turned Sunderland down, while Muñoz was reportedly less than keen on leaving the Spanish side midway through the season.
Sunderland need €40m
Part of Osasuna’s logic was that they would owe 50% to Real Madrid. The Spanish side, therefore, want to see Muñoz leave for at least €40m. That’s the value of the release clause in his current deal.
Now Vázquez has doubled down on their stance. He’s explained why they simply weren’t interested in what Sunderland or anyone else could offer.
“We didn’t even listen to them; we stuck to the clause,” he said.
“It’s also true, and I want to emphasize this, that he’s very grateful to the club. We brought him in from the Primera RFEF (Real Madrid First Division), where he’d only played 40 minutes in La Liga, and we paid €5m.
“I told him he was going to experience personal and professional growth because it was the right environment, and he’s very grateful. As of today, we’re not considering him leaving, and neither is he.”
Tottenham also interested
The question is how long Osasuna can keep their star man. Sunderland aren’t the only ones to have shown an interest.
Sport Witness covered a report at the end of January that stated Tottenham were also in the mix for him. That indicates that his performances are certainly gaining recognition, particularly in the Premier League.
Clubs in England can easily pay that that if they wish, with that clear what Vázquez is hoping will happen at some point.