Club America's sporting director says it's almost certain that Diego Lainez will leave Liga MX this winter, with the club wanting to allow him to pursue opportunities in Europe.
Las Aguilas rejected bids from European teams this summer, but Santiago Banos said Tuesday that the situation has changed and the time may be right for the 18-year-old to make a move.
"It's almost certain that he's leaving this tournament," Banos said in an interview with ESPN Radio. "We don't want to close the doors for him to go and compete in international leagues, leagues that are first class."
A report before Sunday's second leg of the Liga MX final indicated Ajax had made a formal offer for Lainez's services. Banos said while the historic Dutch club is interested, there also are two other suitors for the attacker.
"Obviously he's generated interested on the national and international level. Yes, it's true there's interest [from Ajax], but there's also interest from another pair of teams, so you have to wait and see," Banos said. "We should go into this calmly and look for the offer that's best for the club and for Diego."
Lainez made his Liga MX debut in March 2017 when America was coached by Ricardo La Volpe and since then has made a total of 39 appearances for the club. He made his senior national team debut this season, playing a pair of friendly matches in September before helping Mexico to finish as runner-up in the Concacaf U-20 Championships
Lainez first impressed on the international stage in the summer of 2018 with his performances in the prestigious Toulon Tournament. That reportedly drew offers from Roma and Lyon, but at the time America held out for a fee of $25 million. It is unclear if they're willing to come down on their price or if a European team is preparing an offer in that range.
What is clear is that the player sees his future in Europe. "You have to wait. It's another dream I have and hopefully it comes through, like this one," he said after winning the Liga MX Apertura title with America.
