Víctor Velázquez, president of the Mexican club Cruz Azul, confirmed on 2026-04-12 that midfielder Erik Lira has joined AS Monaco. ^[1] Mexican midfielder Erik Lira has officially joined AS Monaco in the French Ligue 1 following weeks of negotiations. ^[2] The transfer deal between AS Monaco and Mexican midfielder Erik Lira collapsed on the final day of the summer 2026 transfer window. ^[3] Víctor Velázquez explained that the negotiation delay was caused by AS Monaco initially lacking a foreign player slot, which was recently freed by the departure of Folarin Balogun to Everton. ^[4] Víctor Velázquez stated that negotiations for Erik Lira's transfer took longer than expected because both the club and the player wanted to improve the contract conditions. ^[5] Cruz Azul president Víctor Velázquez stated on 2026-01-15 that negotiations for the transfer of Erik Lira to Monaco were delayed due to reboating in the negotiation process and a lack of foreign player quotas at the French club. ^[6] The agreement between Cruz Azul and Monaco for the transfer of Erik Lira is reported to be worth approximately 10 million euros including variables. ^[7] Víctor Velázquez, president of Cruz Azul, said on 2026-01-15 that the additional time taken for the Erik Lira transfer to Monaco improved the conditions for the club. ^[8] Both Cruz Azul and AS Monaco have reached an understanding on economic aspects and transfer conditions according to information from Jugando Claro. ^[9] The main obstacle preventing an immediate deal was the lack of a foreign player quota at AS Monaco, which has now been resolved. ^[10] Víctor Velázquez stated that Cruz Azul had a prior commitment to support Lira if he received an offer to play in Europe, which was his goal. ^[11] Erik Lira is expected to make his debut or be present in the stands for AS Monaco's match scheduled for Friday, September 4. ^[12]