Faster than Mbappé: Is Muñoz Liverpool’s answer to replacing Salah?

Having spent over €500 million last summer, Liverpool have started this summer where they finished the last one now they have Andoni Iraola in charge, and are set to sign Spain international Víctor Muñoz from Osasuna for €40 million, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

Muñoz, 22, who is part of the Spain squad at the 2026 World Cup and spent time in the academies of both Barcelona and Real Madrid, looked close to joining Newcastle United before his proposed switch was hijacked at the last minute.

But with the Reds needing to replace Mohamed Salah, as well as cover for the injured Hugo Ekitike, they have only a handful of options on the wing as Italy’s Federico Chiesa is also likely to depart.

Sources have told ESPN that Liverpool are also admirers of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, but they have moved quickly to land Muñoz already. So what will he bring? And why did they do it now?

The start of Liverpool’s new era

The club’s attack has been spearheaded by Salah for the best part of a decade but, following his departure on a free transfer this summer, the forward line is in a state of flux.

The main priority in the market was always going to be bolstering the attack, enabling new head coach Iraola to implement the dynamic, front-footed brand of football he showed at Bournemouth and which deserted the side in the final months of Arne Slot’s tenure. And the arrival of Muñoz is the first phase of that attacking revamp.

The transfer has been driven by Iraola himself, with the Basque boss currently in the process of assessing the squad he inherited.

Born in Catalonia, Muñoz spent time in the academies of both Barcelona and Real Madrid before leaving the latter to join Osasuna for around €5 million last summer. He scored seven goals for the LaLiga side last season and, while his stats don’t necessarily jump off the page, the winger has a number of attributes that render him attractive to Liverpool’s decision-makers, which Sam will explain.

Furthermore, at 22, Muñoz’s best years are still ahead of him and Iraola’s track record of improving attacking players during his time at Bournemouth was one of the things that impressed the Anfield hierarchy. The hope will be that he can once again turn a young player into a star.

Muñoz will bring pace on the flanks — something which was desperately lacking at Anfield last season — and also the ability to play across the forward line. That versatility could prove useful considering Liverpool are set to be without striker Ekitike for a significant portion of next term as the France international continues his recovery from a ruptured Achilles.

Muñoz is already a fully fledged Spain international and, with wide forwards at a premium in the market, securing a player with international pedigree for a relatively modest fee will be viewed as a coup. — Lindop

What will he bring to Liverpool?

Muñoz has the profile Liverpool are screaming out for. Since losing Sadio Mané, Luis Díaz and now Salah, the club have primarily invested in players who prefer to play in central areas. Muñoz offers width, explosiveness and the ability to beat a man which can open up a game when most of the other options have come up short. The big question — and this is where sporting directors earn their money — is whether he can move up a level?

He may only have been at Osasuna for one season, but he left his mark. After playing for both Barcelona and Real Madrid at youth level, he could have arrived with a chip on his shoulder last summer, but he quickly bought into the team’s work ethic and impressed the supporters with his attitude and commitment.

Muñoz may be small (5-foot-7), but he is powerful, uses his body well and is hard to dispossess due to his low center of gravity. Former Madrid teammate Dani Carvajal would have known that, but even he couldn’t get the ball off him when the two teams met this past season. Muñoz even out-jumped towering Villarreal defender Rafa Marín to score one of his six LaLiga goals this season.

The winger — who mainly plays from the left but has also played on the right and centrally — is also hard to catch due to his blistering pace. He clocked the joint-third fastest time in LaLiga this term, according to LALIGA Football Intelligence and Performance, at 35.46 km/h — leaving Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé (35.24 km/h) and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (33.55 km/h) trailing.

Those qualities meant it was natural for Osasuna, who only avoided relegation on the final day of the season, to give him the ball and ask him to come up with something from nothing. Only Yamal (285) and Vinícius Júnior (241) attempted more than his 215 take-ons last season, and he loves running at the opposition.

The next step is to take those qualities and deliver more consistently in the final third. With 103 crosses (fifth in LaLiga) and 27 chances created (77th in LaLiga), he ended the campaign with just two assists. It will be different at Liverpool, where he will be playing for a title-chasing side playing more attacking football, but the demands will also be higher.

Early indicators suggest he is ready to push on. He will be surrounded by better players at Anfield and a goal on his Spain debut in March showed what he is capable of. But for an untimely injury at the end of the season, he would likely have started Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde with Yamal and Nico Williams not fully fit.

Given that knock, the fact he is at the World Cup alone shows how highly rated he is by Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. It would have been easier — maybe even more sensible — to take someone ready to play from the off with Yamal and Williams as fitness doubts. But De la Fuente, like Liverpool, wanted Muñoz. — Marsden