Liverpool hijack Newcastle to land Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna
Andoni Iraola has his first Liverpool signing: the Reds have triggered Víctor Muñoz’s release clause to bring the Spain winger to Anfield from Osasuna.
Jun 23, 2026
Liverpool have moved ahead of Newcastle United to sign Víctor Muñoz, triggering the Osasuna winger’s release clause to land the first arrival of Andoni Iraola’s reign at Anfield. The 22-year-old will sign a six-year contract after Liverpool activated the buyout figure of around £34.5 million.
Newcastle had appeared to be in front in the race, with the framework of a deal in place and a medical being lined up. Liverpool’s intervention swept that aside in a matter of days, a move that mirrors the way they beat Newcastle to Hugo Ekitike a year earlier.
A clause that decided it
Muñoz had a buyout clause written into his Osasuna contract, and once Liverpool decided he was a target the structure of the deal became straightforward. They met the figure rather than haggling over instalments and add-ons, which is how a move that had looked like Newcastle’s turned Liverpool’s way so quickly.
For Newcastle it is a familiar and unwelcome feeling. They were the ones left disappointed when Liverpool hijacked the Ekitike deal last summer, and they have now been beaten to a player they believed was close to joining.
Iraola’s first signing
The transfer carries extra weight because it is the first piece of business of Iraola’s tenure. The Basque coach arrives with a clear idea of how he wants Liverpool to play, built on intensity and aggressive pressing, and Muñoz fits that profile as a direct, hard-running wide forward.
He is coming off a breakthrough season at Osasuna, scoring seven goals in 36 appearances across all competitions, form that pushed him into the conversation as one of the brighter young attackers in La Liga and earned him a place in Spain’s 26-man World Cup squad. He became the first Osasuna player to be named in a Spain squad for a World Cup, and he marked his international debut in March 2026 with a goal in a 3-0 win over Serbia.
Sealed around the World Cup
The timing was shaped by the World Cup. Muñoz has been in the United States with the Spain squad, and the deal was finalised with a medical completed there rather than at Anfield. He will formally become a Liverpool player once the paperwork clears, with the move set to be ratified for the new season.
It also fits a wider reshaping of Liverpool’s squad. Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson have moved on this summer, and Iraola’s side are rebuilding rather than standing still. Muñoz is a signing for the present and the longer term, a young player handed a long contract at a club in transition.
Liverpool may ease him in rather than throw him straight into the first XI, but they clearly rated him highly enough to act fast. For Newcastle, it is another reminder of how ruthless their rivals can be once a target is identified.