Liverpool activated the clause for Víctor Muñoz and took over the transfer ahead of Newcastle
Liverpool entered the final phase of signing Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna on June 18, 2026, after, according to a Sky Sports report, activating the Spanish winger's release clause worth around £34.5 million, or €40 million. The same source states that the Anfield club reached an agreement with the Spanish club, that the player underwent a medical examination in the United States of America, and that he is expected to sign a six-year contract. According to Liverpool's post in the Media watch section, which relays media information and explicitly states that such content does not necessarily represent the club's official position, Muñoz is on the verge of arriving after the Reds activated the clause in his contract with Osasuna. This gave the deal, which in previous days had been linked with Newcastle United, a sudden twist in Liverpool's favour. Until full club confirmation of the transfer is published, this is a deal that, according to available information, has been agreed in its key elements, but formally still depends on the final administrative steps.
A turnaround in the final stage of negotiations
Newcastle United, according to English reports, had been working for days on the transfer of the 22-year-old Spanish international and was one of the main candidates to sign him. Sky Sports states that Liverpool took the initiative by activating the clause and thereby avoided longer negotiations with Osasuna over the amount of the transfer fee. In practice, such a move means that the buying club agrees to pay the amount stipulated in the contract, which leaves the selling club without room to reject the transfer if the other conditions are met. According to the same report, Liverpool will pay the amount in two instalments, and Muñoz underwent his medical examination in the United States because he is there with the Spanish national team at the World Cup. It is also stated that the Spanish Football Federation allowed the player to complete the formalities related to the transfer, which shows how closely the deal was coordinated with national-team obligations.
For Liverpool, that move is important also because of the wider picture of the summer transfer window. The Anfield club is looking for additional pace, verticality and flexibility in the attacking line, and Muñoz is the type of player who can play in several attacking positions. According to Sky Sports, Liverpool's interest did not arise overnight, but was long-term, and it was accelerated by the arrival of head coach Andoni Iraola, who knows LaLiga well. In such a context, activating the clause appears to be a decision to close the deal before Newcastle or other interested clubs could try to complete an agreement. For Newcastle, which according to the same reports was in talks with Osasuna, this is a blow in a part of the transfer window in which the club is looking for reinforcements for attacking positions.
Osasuna was well protected by the contract
Osasuna signed Muñoz from Real Madrid in July 2025, and the official announcement by the Navarrese club at the time confirmed that the player had signed a contract for five seasons. According to Osasuna, the club paid Real Madrid five million euros for 50 percent of the player's economic rights, with the possibility of an additional one million euros through sporting bonuses. The same statement said that the release, or termination, clause for appearances in LaLiga EA Sports was set at 40 million euros. That detail is important for understanding why the current deal is being described as the activation of a clause, and not as a classic transfer negotiated solely through the free valuation of the two clubs.
Real Madrid, according to Osasuna's 2025 announcement, also retained a buy-back right for the player at the end of the following three seasons. Since the Madrid club retained 50 percent of the economic rights, it is expected that it would have a financial share in any transfer payment, although the exact final settlement between the clubs had not been officially confirmed at the time of publication. This detail shows how modern football transactions are often more complex than the transfer fee that appears in headlines. For Osasuna, a sale for the amount of the clause would represent a significant financial return on an investment made a year earlier. For Real Madrid, the agreement would also have financial importance, regardless of the fact that the player is no longer part of its sporting plan.
A player profile suited to the modern attack
Víctor Muñoz Villanueva was born on July 13, 2003 in Barcelona, is 1.73 metres tall and, according to Osasuna's profile, has Spanish citizenship. Osasuna lists him on its official website as a forward, while LaLiga shows him in its statistical profile as a midfielder, which reflects his ability to move between wide and offensive areas. In Osasuna's announcement about his arrival from Real Madrid, it was highlighted that he can play in different attacking positions, as a winger or forward. The club then particularly emphasised his speed, his play in space and his ability to break through opposing defences. Such a description fits the way Liverpool, according to English media, sees him as a reinforcement for the attack.
Muñoz made a breakthrough in the 2025/26 season that significantly increased his market value. According to Osasuna's official profile, in the club total he recorded 36 matches, seven goals and five assists. LaLiga, in its official statistics for the 2025/26 league season, lists 34 appearances, six goals, two assists, 2,668 minutes, 31 starts and 56 shots. The difference in the figures stems from the fact that the club profile and league statistics do not necessarily cover the same set of competitions. In both cases, the data confirm that this is a player who, in a relatively short period, went from being a promising Osasuna signing to an international and a target for Premier League clubs.
From youth academies to the senior national team
Muñoz's development path passed through several strong football environments. According to Osasuna, he developed as a footballer in the youth categories of San Gabriel, then was in Barcelona's academy from 2014 to 2017, after which he played for Damm. Later he joined Real Madrid, with whom he won the Copa del Rey for juniors, and then played for the reserve team and Real Madrid Castilla. When presenting him, Osasuna stated that in the 2024/25 season he had 11 goals and seven assists for Castilla, which was one of the reasons for the transfer to Pamplona. Such a background explains why major clubs continued to follow him even after his departure from Madrid.
The Spanish Football Federation confirmed that Muñoz made his debut for the senior national team on March 27, 2026 in a friendly match against Serbia at the La Cerámica stadium. The RFEF states that he came on in the 63rd minute in place of Mikel Oyarzabal, and nine minutes after coming on scored Spain's third goal. The federation described him as a 22-year-old from Barcelona and highlighted that he thereby became one of the new players introduced into the national team by Luis de la Fuente. Two months later, on May 25, 2026, the RFEF included him among the forwards in the list of 26 Spanish internationals for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That international status further increased the player's visibility at the moment when the summer market window opened.
A transfer in the shadow of the World Cup
The distinctive feature of this deal is the timing in which it is taking place. The 2026 World Cup runs, according to the RFEF announcement, from June 11 to July 19, and Spain began the tournament in North America. Muñoz is in the national-team environment, so Liverpool, according to Sky Sports, sent club staff to the United States so that the medical examination could be carried out. Such transfers during major tournaments can be sensitive because players must maintain focus on national-team obligations, while clubs try to complete a deal before the competition reacts. That is why the federation's permission for administrative formalities is an important part of the report. It does not only mean that the transfer has progressed, but also that all parties involved had to coordinate the sporting and logistical calendar.
For the player himself, a move to the Premier League, if officially confirmed, would mean the biggest step of his career so far. In one year he has gone from arriving at Osasuna from Real Madrid, through his first senior international match, to a possible six-year contract with one of the best-known English clubs. It is a rapid rise, but also a challenge, because the Premier League brings a different rhythm, greater physical demands and constant competition within the squad. Liverpool would be getting a player who is still in the development phase, but already has senior minutes in LaLiga, an international debut and experience of the pressure of a major market. That is why his potential arrival will be assessed not only through the transfer fee, but also through how quickly he can adapt to English football.
What Liverpool gains, and what Osasuna loses
From a sporting angle, Liverpool would get in Muñoz a profile that can add directness and width to the attack. His speed and ability to attack space make him useful in matches in which the team seeks quick transitions, but also in encounters in which it needs to break down low defensive blocks. Since he can play in several positions in attack, he would provide the coach with additional tactical flexibility and the possibility of rotation during a long season. At the same time, his statistical output from LaLiga shows that he is not yet a fully formed elite scorer, but a player whose potential still needs to develop. Precisely for that reason, the six-year contract mentioned by Sky Sports points to a project investment, not only to a short-term solution.
For Osasuna, losing Muñoz would be difficult from a sporting point of view, but financially understandable. According to the club's own announcement in 2025, it invested five million euros in him for half of the economic rights, and now the deal would be around the full clause of 40 million euros. Such a return enables the Pamplona club to strengthen its financial stability and potentially reinvest in the squad. However, from a competitive perspective, the departure of a player who in one season became one of LaLiga's more visible young offensive players raises the question of a replacement. Osasuna, if the transfer is completed, will have to replace not only his goals and assists, but also the speed he brought in attacking transitions.
Formal confirmation remains the final step
According to the information available on June 18, 2026, the most concrete elements of the deal have already been put in place: Liverpool, according to Sky Sports, activated the clause, agreed the deal with Osasuna, organised a medical examination in the United States and prepared a six-year contract for the player. Liverpool's official website published a media review with the same key information, but with the note that the content of the Media watch section does not necessarily represent the club's official position. For that reason, for the final status of the transfer it remains relevant to wait for a full announcement from the clubs, including official registration and presentation of the player. In football terms, however, the deal already carries weight because it shows Liverpool's readiness to react quickly on the market and take over a transfer that Newcastle was trying to bring to completion. If the final steps are confirmed without delay, Víctor Muñoz should open a new phase of his career at Anfield after the World Cup.
Sources:
- Sky Sports – report on the activation of the clause, the medical examination in the United States, the agreement with Osasuna and the expected six-year contract (link)
- Liverpool FC Media watch – club post relaying the media report on Liverpool's activation of the clause for Víctor Muñoz (link)
- CA Osasuna – official 2025 announcement on the arrival of Víctor Muñoz from Real Madrid, economic rights, contract and the €40 million clause (link)
- CA Osasuna – official player profile with basic information and club statistical output (link)
- LaLiga – official statistical profile of Víctor Muñoz for the 2025/26 season in LaLiga EA Sports (link)
- Real Federación Española de Fútbol – announcement about Víctor Muñoz's debut for Spain's senior national team against Serbia (link)
- Real Federación Española de Fútbol – list of the 26 Spanish internationals for the 2026 World Cup and tournament context (link)