Iker Muniain’s contract expires in the summer of 2019 and, for the moment at least, the 25-year-old isn’t close to signing a new one with Athletic Bilbao. As a result, the talented attacker is attracting interest and a number of European clubs are preparing offers.
Or at least that’s the story this week in Marca, who claim that amongst Muniain’s potential suitors, Liverpool and Napoli lead the way having already made contact with the player’s agent to lay the foundations for the signing of a January pre-contract agreement.
There is the further suggestion Athletic Bilbao—currently struggling in the bottom half of the La Liga table—could seek to start a bidding war between interested parties in the hopes of getting something back for Muniain rather than losing him on a free next summer.
It’s worth considering, though, that Bilbao cannot reinvest transfer fees in the same way that other clubs do given they are restricted to only playing Basque players, and if their La Liga survival is in doubt then surely it would be better not to sell Muniain in January.
Still, on a free summer transfer or for a minor fee in the winter window, Muniain could be a talented bargain and a player who would add depth to Liverpool’s attack. Muniain has played in nine of Bilbao’s ten league games this season and scored four goals.