Victor Munoz will become the first signing of Andoni Iraola's reign at Liverpool after the club triggered a £34.5m release clause. The 22-year-old will sign a six-year contract after undergoing a medical on Wednesday in Atlanta, where he is part of the Spain squad at the World Cup.
Newcastle United were pursuing Munoz, but Liverpool have once again beaten them to a top target, as they did with Hugo Ekitike last summer. The youngster registered six goals and two assists in 34 La Liga games for Osasuna, who he signed from Real Madrid for just £4m last summer.
And Liverpool should be very excited about their new recruit, as Munoz had been previously described as 'one of the pearls of Spanish football'.
In an interview with the BBC when Newcastle appeared to be closing in on the signing of the attacker, La Liga expert Phil Minshull revealed: "He is an outstanding young talent. He's one of the pearls of Spanish football."
"He's been called up to the Spanish squad, and he's going to be part of the World Cup squad. He's a very strong, right-footed attacking winger. He can play both sides."
"He's very robust. Very physical. He challenges defenders. One question mark over his technical abilities is his passing as he only got two assists in the whole of last season."
"But he does take on defenders, and he provides all sorts of challenges for them pulling players in his direction and opening up space for the other forwards."
"He can play either side of the park and that makes him a valuable asset depending on the resources of the rest of the team."
"Also, he's always tracking back and he's a strong tackler so he's supporting the defenders as well. There's no question marks over his work rate."
After joining Osasuna last year, Munoz said of his style: "I can play in any of the three attacking positions. I think with my directness and speed I can get to the byline and cross, and above all, give my all and press."
"I feel comfortable in any of the three positions; each one has its own strengths. So I'll leave that up to the coach, whatever is best for the team. My goal is to help and contribute as much as possible."
