Liverpool begin contract talks for £90m star alongside Diomande

In less than 24 hours, Liverpool have emerged from the wilderness in the race to sign Osasuna’s Victor Munoz, usurping Newcastle United’s move in the 11th hour.

This was the kind of bet you’d expect to see late in the market, where clubs scramble to get ahead of the picks that are still available. But this was FSG at the height of their powers, snatching the Tyneside-bound Spaniard in one fell swoop.

Muñoz, 22, is currently in North America as part of Luis de la Fuentes’ Spain squad. He previously played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, making four appearances for the latter’s first team.

Despite a strong start to the Andoni Iraola era, Liverpool have achieved little there and are still keen to pursue Ivorian superstar Yann Diomande and further reinforcements across the park.

Liverpool in talks to sign Premier League star

Muñoz and Diomande could form a new era of goalscoring for Liverpool. Indeed, these speedy players are the kind of players who can lift Iraola’s high-intensity system off the ground.

The 2024/25 champions finished fifth in the Premier League last year, which led to Arne Slott’s sacking. Liverpool need to improve even further next year, with sporting director Richard Hughes looking to rebuild their attack, but Liverpool also need new pieces in midfield and defence.

Iraola could feature Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven at the back, with Dutch journalist Mike Verweij claiming that Liverpool and Barcelona have made contact with his entourage following the signing stalemate in north London.

The 25-year-old may be leveraging suitors to secure a better deal with Spurs, but Liverpool will be hard to resist in the transfer market and Iraola could complete a new backline if FSG are willing to meet his £90m valuation.

There are conflicting reports about Liverpool’s interest at the moment, but Van de Ven has attracted the attention of FSG in the past, and if suggestions from the Dutch are to be believed, Liverpool would at least be willing to consider signing a potentially game-changing defender now that Ibrahima Konate has signed for Real Madrid.

Why Van de Ven could be Liverpool’s next Isaac

Konate could have moved to Real Madrid, but Liverpool bosses are likely to name Jeremy Jacquet, who was pre-signed for £60m in January, as his immediate successor. Giovanni Leoni is also working on his fitness ahead of pre-season after his debut for the Merseysiders was ruined by a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Liverpool need a defender like Van de Ven, and while he may not be quite the same player, he could strangely end up emulating Alexander Isak in a big-money move to Liverpool this summer.

If the Reds were to spend £90 million to add the Dutchman to their squad, they would not only be adding to their backline, but they would also be signing a unique player of sublime ability who can use his athleticism, speed and power to achieve things beyond the abilities of other centre-backs.

When the call comes from Anfield, players tend to listen. Van de Ven is a talisman for Tottenham, albeit in a different sense than Isaac at St. James’ Park. If the Reds ramp up their intrigue, we could see some kind of repeat or bonanza attack against their Premier League rivals in a second successive summer window.

Isak joined Liverpool from Newcastle for a record-breaking £125m last summer, and while Van de Ven’s arrival was less expensive, it is more than the £80m Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.

Is Van de Ven worth it? You might not think so while staying in a relegation-threatened Tottenham side, but he is one of the best players in the business and a game-changer for a team that benefited from his profile and then avoided relegation. In that respect, he was a “monster” for the team, says Elliott Jackson.

Isak struggled throughout his first season at Liverpool, but who could doubt the Swedish striker’s world-class quality? Iraola will be expected to bring new talent out of the 26-year-old, and the same will be true for Van de Ven.

There is no doubt that this is an ambitious move for Liverpool, but one that will be well worth the effort. Van de Ven is similar to Isaac in that his attire is coveted, helping him secure silverware after a long drought. He is a talisman and could bring that to a Liverpool side aiming for higher levels of success.