Newcastle United were convinced Victor Munoz was destined for St James’ Park.Having sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for €80million (£69.3m; $93.2m), they had pinpointed the Osasuna winger as the ideal replacement.Following positive discussions with the player’s camp, the expectation since the start of June was that the Spain international would end up on Tyneside. But their desire to try to negotiate a deal rather than simply activate his €40million release clause ensured the process wasn’t straightforward.Then, on Wednesday, the landscape changed dramatically. Newcastle were left stunned as Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes swept in to secure Munoz.Having agreed to pay Osasuna that release clause across two instalments, half of which must be passed on to his former club Real Madrid, a six-year contract with the 22-year-old forward was agreed.With Munoz part of the Spain squad at the World Cup, Liverpool’s director of medicine and performance, Jonathan Power, was immediately dispatched to the United States after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) granted permission for a medical to take place.(Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)Power linked up with chief scout Barry Hunter and head of performance physical therapy Chris Morgan as tests took place at a facility in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Spain are based this summer.On Thursday evening, there was official confirmation. Munoz is the club’s first signing since the appointment of Andoni Iraola as head coach earlier this month and the former Bournemouth boss, who has followed the winger’s career closely, played an important role in ensuring he ended up at Anfield.Bolstering their wide attacking options with an injection of pace and dynamism has been Liverpool’s priority in the summer transfer window. Mohamed Salah left the club at the end of last season, Federico Chiesa’s future is uncertain and Hugo Ekitike is set to miss the first half of next season as he recovers from a serious Achilles injury.The right-footed Munoz predominantly plays off the left but can also operate on the right or through the middle, and that versatility is one of the big attractions for Liverpool, who remain keen to sign another winger, with RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande their top target.Liverpool have informed the Bundesliga side they are willing to offer a package approaching €100million for the Ivory Coast international, but Leipzig are holding out for more.Is finding a like-for-like Salah replacement impossible?Josh Williams There are echoes of last summer, when Newcastle saw their hopes of signing Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt dashed by Liverpool.There was also friction between the clubs over Liverpool’s lengthy pursuit of Alexander Isak, with the north-east outfit adamant the Sweden striker was going nowhere, before they finally relented and sanctioned a British record £125million sale (worth £130million to Newcastle because of solidarity payments) ahead of deadline day.With Munoz, senior Anfield figures insist they didn’t simply hijack Newcastle’s move at the 11th hour. He featured on Liverpool’s shortlist drawn up by recruitment staff over the course of last season and there’s a chance he would have been pursued even if Arne Slot had kept his job as head coach.Liverpool made contact with the player’s agency via a scout early in 2026 as they gathered information and asked to be kept updated on his situation.Munoz’s tally of seven goals and five assists in 36 appearances in all competitions in 2025-26 may look modest, but the important context was that he was playing for an Osasuna side fighting to stay in La Liga (they finished on the same points total as 18th-placed Mallorca but were saved by their superior goal difference).His underlying numbers in terms of driving his team up the pitch were much more impressive (as shown by the graphic below).Playing against Rayo Vallecano, who Iraola previously managed, Munoz completed 12 dribbles, more in a single game than any other player across Europe’s big five leagues in 2025-26. Across the entire season, he completed 75 dribbles (fourth-highest in La Liga) and registered 318 progressive carries (ninth-highest).He’s quick and direct. He may be only 5ft 8in (173cm), but Liverpool believe his build and low centre of gravity make him well-equipped to handle the physicality of the Premier League.As well as Newcastle, Liverpool were aware of strong interest in Munoz from Bayer Leverkusen. The Bundesliga club’s CEO Fernando Carro called Osasuna to explore a move.Munoz was also on Manchester United’s radar. Stiff competition was to be expected given his status as a Spain international, age and relatively low release clause.Real Madrid considered triggering their €8million buyback option this summer, 12 months after they sold him to Osasuna for €5m plus €1m in add-ons, keeping a say in his future.But it’s rare they would look to bring a young player back so soon and Munoz had concerns over playing time if he returned to the Bernabeu. Barcelona were also keen on Munoz before signing Gordon, but Real Madrid wouldn’t have allowed that.It was after the Real Madrid presidential election on June 7, when Florentino Perez was re-elected, that Munoz’s agent received a message from the club confirming he would definitely be sold. Before then, there had been a degree of uncertainty.Madrid view it as a great deal for them given they will bank around €26million in total for an academy graduate who only made four senior appearances for them.It was following the appointment of Iraola on June 4 that Liverpool discreetly stepped up their pursuit. Munoz was discussed in the initial squad planning meetings Iraola held with Hughes after accepting the opportunity to take over from Slot.Iraola, who has an extensive knowledge of La Liga, made it clear he was a big fan of Munoz and believed he would be the perfect fit for the kind of aggressive, front-foot brand of football he’s looking to instill at Anfield.There was a phone conversation between Iraola and Munoz earlier this week when the new Liverpool head coach presented his plan for the young winger in great detail. They have spoken a number of times since.Senior sources at Osasuna believe that chatting with Iraola changed everything regarding Munoz’s situation, with his heart then set on moving to Anfield.They say Newcastle’s offer wasn’t acceptable as it amounted to around €32million as a guaranteed fee with an additional €5m to potentially follow in add-ons. Osasuna, who stood firm in demanding the full €40m, were surprised Newcastle sought to negotiate appearance-related bonuses instead of just paying the release clause.But Newcastle are adamant they had a deal in place with Osasuna, the player and the agent before Liverpool swooped. Newcastle also point to Real Madrid’s presidential election as holding things up, as negotiations couldn’t take place until after the result was known.Newcastle had staff on standby close to Spain’s World Cup base ready to conduct a medical in the U.S., but ultimately they weren’t required.Victor Munoz celebrates scoring for Osasuna against Real Oviedo in January 2026 (Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)Osasuna didn’t want to lose Munoz but the deal with Liverpool means they have made a €15million profit on a player who helped keep them up during his one season at the club.Liverpool initially thought they might have to wait until after Spain’s World Cup campaign was over before completing the transfer. But the stars aligned this week, with Osasuna and Real Madrid keen to generate funds, Munoz wanting his future settled and Spain willing to sanction the medical taking place.Reports suggesting Real Madrid have a buyback clause for Munoz which will be active in the summer of 2027 are untrue. They simply retain the right to match any offer in the event of Liverpool deciding to sell him in the future.With a lack of threat on the wings contributing to Slot’s reign unravelling last season, Liverpool are determined to ensure Iraola has the attacking weapons required to lead a resurgence.They don’t see the acquisition of Munoz as negatively impacting on teenager Rio Ngumoha’s game time given both players can operate on either flank. Cody Gakpo can also play out wide or through the centre. With Chiesa unlikely to get the kind of game time he wants if he stays put, the most likely option is that he returns to Italy this summer.Liverpool remain in the market for a Salah replacement and The Athletic reported on Thursday that they have intensified their pursuit of Leipzig’s Diomande, expressing a willingness to put forward a package approaching €100million for the Ivory Coast forward.That is an improvement on an earlier proposal during dialogue with their Bundesliga counterparts. European champions Paris Saint-Germain remain in contention but have yet to table a bid as they wait to learn the player’s preference.Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh, Said El Mala of FC Koln and Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo are among the other options under consideration if Liverpool can’t agree a deal for Diomande.It’s going to be a busy summer at Anfield with gaps to fill in the squad Iraola inherited. Moving so swiftly and decisively to land Munoz represents a decent start.Additional reporting: Mario Cortegana and Guillermo Rai