Newcastle discuss Victor Munoz as possible Anthony Gordon replacement - Report

Newcastle United are ready to compete with Sunderland for the signing of Victor Munoz.

Sunderland and Aston Villa have already made their interest in the Spanish winger known, and now it looks like Newcastle could be about to emerge as challengers.

It's looking increasingly likely that Anthony Gordon is going to leave Newcastle in the very near future - hopefully sooner rather than later. We don't mean that in a nasty way; we just mean that we really don't want a long-running transfer saga casting a shadow over our pre-season again.

If Gordon does get his move, Newcastle will obviously need to replace the England star, and that search is already well underway with several targets already mentioned, including Saïd El Mala, who could be back in contention for the Magpies after initially rejecting a move to Tyneside.

Victor Munoz has caught Newcastle's eye

A report in The Mirror claims that Newcastle have now added Osasuna's 22-year-old Victor Munoz to their list.

After scoring on his debut for Spain, Munoz has been identified as one of Europe's hottest prospects, and fits the bill perfectly for what Newcastle are looking for.

The Mirror's Ryan Taylor reports that Newcastle have reached out to Munoz's representatives at Niagara Sports Company, sounding out a potential summer deal with Man Utd, Arsenal and Barcelona recently tracking the wide man.

Munoz joined Osasuna from Real Madrid last summer for £4.3 million, but that was only 50% of his rights, meaning that 50% of any future sale will go back to Real Madrid. 

With six goals and two assists in La Liga this season, his numbers don't sound spectacular, but he's clearly doing enough beyond that to impress as he's been in contention for Spain's World Cup squad.

Could Mags beat the Mackems to deal? 

Sunderland were reportedly looking at a £20m bid in January, but it never materialised; they no doubt remain interested. That could certainly make things a bit spicy in the summer if the local rivals go up against each other.

We're sure that if Munoz ends up at one over the other, it will be declared as some huge victory. Sunderland will probably organise an open-top bus parade.

As much as Newcastle likes to keep their targets quiet until they're almost acquired, this one feels too late to be a genuine link and too early to be a surprise. Even the Mirror's report says his name just cropped up in talks with his agency over another player.

Rumour Rating: 3/10 - He's probably on our radar, but not high up the priority list. Going up against Sunderland will give us something to keep us entertained, though.