Filipe Luís confirms Monaco’s continued Erik Lira pursuit | OneFootball

AS Monaco manager Filipe Luís has said that he will “continue to want Erik Lira in every transfer window”. It comes after the Principality club missed out on the Mexico international this summer.

Lira was a target for the Principality club throughout the summer. However, his arrival was always blocked due to there being no non-EU spots in the squad. The expected departure of Folarin Balogun was expected to free one up, however, his move to Everton was not completed.

Speaking at Wednesday’s press conference, attended by Get French Football News, Monaco’s CEO, Thiago Scuro, confirmed the talks. “The situation with Erik Lira, our relationship with Cruz Azul… I want to really thank them, and I appreciate the way they dealt with everything with us. The deal was ready. The player was ready to travel. Everything was absolutely pressing on the button. But it was mandatory in the agreement that Balogun would open the foreign (Non-EU) spot; because of that, we were not able to bring Erik Lira. That was our desire. Having to call the player and say, I’m sorry, we couldn’t make it. As a human, it’s a very hard part of the job during the transfer window,” he said.

The Monaco CEO was then asked about renewing their pursuit in January. “It depends on several things. We are not in a position to ask them to wait, keep holding. But for sure, it’s a player that has our attention and respect,” added Scuro. With Luís also still very keen on recruiting the midfielder, a future transfer is a possibility.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle