Liverpool are on the verge of delivering the first signing of the Andoni Iraola era after hijacking Newcastle’s attempt to land Spain international Victor Munoz.
This is a significant early statement of intent from Liverpool, who moved discreetly and quickly to take the lead in a race for Munoz, the Osasuna wide forward who was also wanted by Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen and had attracted interest from Real Madrid, the club where he had begun his career.
Newcastle had been vigorously pursuing Munoz and had a bid accepted for him but they began to worry when they had not heard any developments from Osasuna or the player’s agent, Juanma Lopez, over 48 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and they were left despondent after learning of Liverpool’s late move. They knew there would be competition for his signature, given the relatively reasonable fee in the modern market, but it remains a bitter pill to swallow.
Familiar tale
There are echoes of this transfer, given how swiftly it has been completed, with Liverpool’s move for Dominik Szoboszlai in 2023 when they again pounced late in the day for the Hungary midfielder after Newcastle had appeared to be making all the running.
As was the case then, Liverpool are committed to paying the £34.5 million transfer in two instalments. Munoz, who is with Spain at the World Cup, underwent a medical – after receiving approval from the Spanish Federation – on Wednesday after Liverpool sent out staff to get the deal concluded.