At a glance
- Deco met with Juanma Lopez, agent of Osasuna winger Victor Munoz, on Thursday.
- Real Madrid hold an €8 million buyback clause and 50% of his future transfer fee, making any Barcelona deal directly benefit their rivals.
- Munoz has five goals and two assists this season and earned his first Spain call-up.
Barcelona are interested in Victor Munoz but signing him comes with a serious problem. According to Diario SPORT, Deco held a meeting with Juanma Lopez, agent of Victor Munoz, on Thursday afternoon.
The interest is real. But by all accounts, the deal remains incredibly complex.
Who is Victor Munoz?
Victor Munoz began his development at La Masia between 2014 to 2017. He later joined Real Madrid’s academy, and is currently enjoying an outstanding debut season at Osasuna.
Munoz earned his first senior call-up for Spain while becoming one of La Liga’s best dribblers this season. He has five goals and two assists this season, plus the potential to head to the World Cup with La Roja.
Munoz recently made the switch to Niagara Sports, the same agency that represents the likes of Dani Olmo and Joan Garcia and has close ties to Barcelona. This and the meeting with Deco has fuelled the talk of a move back to Camp Nou.
The Real Madrid problem
Victor Munoz has a €40 million release clause, but Madrid hold 50% of his economic rights. Real Madrid also retain an €8 million buyback clause enabling them to bring the 22-year-old back from Osasuna at any time.
According to AS, Real Madrid have zero intention of allowing Munoz to join Barcelona. They possess the right of first refusal over him and aren’t about to hand their rivals another attacker for next season.
Even the slightest attempt on Barcelona’s end would immediately prompt Los Blancos to trigger their €8 million buyback clause and put the move to an end.
Barcelona themselves also have concerns about the 22-year-old. The Catalans are looking to bring in a winger who has experience in the Champions League. With no full consensus reached within the club, it’s not clear whether he’s the man for the job at the moment.
What happens next?
Barcelona can express interest but Real Madrid hold ultimate control. Should they choose to exercise their buyback clause, Munoz will be returning to the Santiago Bernabeu.
But should they fail to act, the Catalans will be right there, ready to make their move.
The meeting with Deco signifies that Barca are indeed serious about signing Munoz. But, once again, genuine interest and a confirmed transfer are miles apart. Right now, Madrid have the last say over him.
