Premier League club Sunderland made a proposal directly to Cruz Azul for Mexican midfielder Erik Lira, 26, while he was in discussions with Monaco. The offer from the English club existed. However, Lira and his agency, confident in finalizing a deal with Monaco, decided to prioritize that project and discarded the Sunderland option before it could advance to formal negotiations. In his pursuit of a move to Europe, Lira also turned down an offer from Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates.
The Mexican international has 29 caps for his country, is under contract with Cruz Azul until June 2029, and has a Transfermarkt market value of €14.00m. It was reported that in August 2026, Monaco made a formal offer of around €5 million. Previously, in July 2026, reports indicated Monterrey was prepared to pay a release clause of approximately €18.5 million. Cruz Azul's asking price in talks with Monaco was reportedly around €7 million.
