The youth academy of Real Madrid is vastly underestimated, and there are a large number of key players in La Liga - and even other leagues like Ligue 1 and Serie A - who got their start with Los Blancos at Castilla. And now, even Barcelona, touted by the average fan as having the best youth academy in the world, are trying to sign a recent Madrid grad.
Osasuna left winger Victor Munoz is having a fantastic season now that he is spreading the wings for a solid, but smaller, La Liga club than Real Madrid. Munoz memorably came off the bench and nearly changed the last Clasico of the 2024/25 La Liga season, with Carlo Ancelotti giving him a chance due to Rodrygo Goes's illness.
According to a report from Jose Felix Diaz of Diario AS, Barcelona are interested in signing Munoz to beef up their own attack, which still has a need on the left wing, even if Marcus Rashford sticks around. But Real Madrid are not going to let their greatest rivals steal away Munoz and benefit from him prospering further in La Liga.
Victor Munoz is getting a lot of interest
As JFD notes, Real Madrid have the right of first refusal on Munoz, as with all players they have let go to other clubs. And as with Nico Paz and the others, Real control Victor Munoz's destiny for the next three seasons with buy back clauses of eight, nine, and ten million euros respectively.
Now the chances of buying back Munoz are basically impossible. Though he can play other positions in the front line and is versatile, he is at his best on the left wing. Obviously, Real Madrid are already well stocked on that side, and so signing Munoz just to stick him on the bench makes no sense, especially when they can profit from a 40 million euro sale, per his release clause, with a bunch of other clubs abroad interested in him, too.
Barcelona signing Munoz would be an outcome that Real Madrid cannot let happen. The 22 year old Osasuna star is such an explosive talent. He already is flashing an ability to achieve end product with five goals to his name in the current La Liga campaign, while his average of 3.6 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game ranks among the best dribbling outputs in the Spanish top flight. Real Madrid will have to watch him shine elsewhere, just not in another Clasico.