Liverpool hijack Newcastle's Victor Munoz move to sign Osasuna winger for £34.5m

Liverpool have signed Osasuna winger Victor Munoz on a six-year contract after activating his £34.5m release clause, leaving Newcastle United without a transfer target for the third time in under twelve months.

The 22-year-old becomes Andoni Iraola’s first signing as Liverpool manager, with the deal bearing a striking resemblance to last summer’s pursuit of Hugo Ekitike — a player Newcastle had also been close to signing before Liverpool intervened.

Ekitike’s agent, Ali Barat, confirmed how abruptly that earlier deal unravelled. “I was working on behalf of Eintracht Frankfurt to bring him to Newcastle,” Barat told TuttoSport. “I stayed in Germany for 10 days. We agreed everything with the German club and the player, then Liverpool called him and he chose Anfield.”

Ekitike himself was candid about the decision when Newcastle visited Anfield in January. “Obviously we were close [to signing for Newcastle] but I made my choice. I knew where I wanted to come,” the France international said. Asked whether he feared a hostile reception at St. James’ Park, he was equally direct: “I don’t care. I play for Liverpool, I have my fans here. I just want to play and help the team. It is simple.”

The 23-year-old went on to justify his £79m fee from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 17 goals across all competitions despite a spell on the sidelines through injury.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe had made no secret of his admiration for Ekitike before Liverpool moved. “There’s no doubting that I really like Hugo and have done for a number of years,” Howe said at the time. “He’s someone that we’ve tracked for a long time.”

The Munoz deal compounds a difficult period for Newcastle in the transfer market. Liverpool also signed striker Alexander Isak from the club for a British record fee on deadline day last summer, meaning the Reds have now disrupted Newcastle’s recruitment plans on three separate occasions within a single year.