Liverpool Signs Victor Munoz for €40m Amid Injury Setback
Liverpool have moved early and moved hard. Victor Munoz is in the door – and already in the treatment room.
The Premier League’s outgoing champions have completed a €40m deal for the highly rated Spain winger, triggering his Osasuna release clause to land their first signing ahead of the 2026/27 season. The 22-year-old has signed a six-year contract, a clear statement that Liverpool see him as a long-term pillar of Andoni Iraola’s new era at Anfield.
Liverpool beat Newcastle – and Real Madrid step aside
Newcastle thought they had him. They had worked on the deal, believed they were in position, and once again watched Liverpool stride past them at the finish line.
At Iraola’s urging, sporting director Richard Hughes moved decisively. The clause was activated, the paperwork rushed through, and the deal structured in two instalments. Real Madrid, who sold Munoz to Osasuna in 2025 and retained a buyback option, declined to exercise it and will instead collect half of the fee.
For a player who came through Barcelona’s academy before passing through Madrid, this is a significant career fork. Instead of circling back into the Real system, Munoz now steps onto a Premier League stage with the weight and opportunity that come with a Liverpool shirt.
A medical, a setback, and a cloud over Spain’s World Cup
The medical was completed on Wednesday at Spain’s FIFA World Cup training facilities, a modern twist on the usual airport-and-clinic transfer choreography. Munoz had already joined up with the national team complaining of a hamstring issue, but the expectation was straightforward: manage it carefully, have him ready for Spain’s second group game.
Spain opened with a 1-1 draw against Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia await on Sunday. The plan was for Munoz to be involved.
That plan has collapsed.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has confirmed a fresh setback in his recovery. During what was described as a scheduled and individualised rehabilitation programme, Munoz suffered an additional muscle injury that will push back his return to competition.
He has been ruled out of Sunday’s fixture against Saudi Arabia on June 21, and his involvement deeper into the tournament is now in serious doubt. The RFEF have made it clear his availability for upcoming matches will depend entirely on how his symptoms evolve.
For Spain, it’s a tactical blow. For Liverpool, it’s a familiar and deeply unwelcome theme.
The “curse” strikes again
Hughes and Iraola needed a clean slate. They have inherited a squad that, last season, felt permanently held together by tape and hope – particularly when it came to new arrivals.
Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike all endured long-term injuries during their first year at the club, each setback interrupting attempts to build cohesion and continuity. Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili also suffered spells of fitness trouble, never quite enjoying the uninterrupted run that allows a signing to settle and impose himself.
Liverpool had hoped this summer would be different: new faces in, new energy, a full pre-season, a proper rhythm. Instead, within 24 hours of completing a marquee €40m transfer, they are digesting news that their latest addition is nursing a new muscle problem on World Cup duty.
No one at Anfield doubts Munoz’s long-term fitness prospects. The injury is a delay, not a derailment. But it is another reminder of how fragile best-laid plans can be, and how quickly optimism can be tested.
For now, Liverpool must watch and wait as Spain’s medical team manage their new winger. The club have paid for his future, not his June. The real judgement will come when he pulls on that red shirt and starts driving at Premier League full-backs.
If his recovery runs smoothly, the “curse” will be reduced to a grim coincidence and Munoz will be free to show why Liverpool were willing to outmuscle Newcastle and hand him six years on Merseyside.
If it doesn’t, the questions around Liverpool’s luck – and their recruitment fortune – will only grow louder.
