Liverpool have beaten Newcastle to Victor Muñoz by triggering his €40million release clause, with club doctors flown out to Spain's World Cup training base in Atlanta for his medical. The move is being pushed through quickly, but the reporting stops short of confirming a fully completed transfer until the medical and registration are done. Liverpool have moved fast, and Osasuna are the club losing a winger who barely cost them anything a year ago.

Why the fee stands out

Osasuna signed Muñoz for just €5m (£4.3m) barely a year ago. Now Liverpool have committed to a €40m (£34.6m) release clause, with Real Madrid retaining a 50 per cent sell-on clause worth €20m (£17.2m). That is a huge jump in value even by modern transfer market standards, and it tells you Liverpool are buying a player they think is ready rather than one for the long view.

The numbers back up the interest. Muñoz has eight goal involvements in 34 La Liga appearances this season. He has also averaged a 7.34 rating across his last five Osasuna matches, and started or featured in five straight league games with 91, 89, 90, 90 and 30 minutes logged. That is not the profile of a player arriving cold.

What Liverpool are getting

The clearest read here is that Liverpool wanted the deal done before anyone else could react, and Newcastle were the side beaten to it. The attack clearly needed more depth after finishing fifth in the Premier League, so a winger in form, with regular minutes behind him, fits the kind of addition the club have been targeting.

There is still a small but important distinction between being agreed in practice and being fully signed off. The medical in Atlanta is the next formal step, and that is where this story now sits.

If Liverpool get it over the line, the headline is not just that they won the race for Muñoz. It is that a player bought for €5m a year ago is heading into a €40m move after a season that has produced eight goal involvements in 34 league appearances.

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