Editor’s note: The video in the player above is from a previous story.

Any hope for a new Chicago Bears stadium within the city of Chicago appeared to fade Friday evening, with President and CEO Kevin Warren saying “open issues” over the previously proposed lakefront stadium at Museum Campus couldn’t be resolved.

In a live interview on FOX ahead of the Bears and Kansas City Chiefs preseason game, Warren echoed previous comments about the team’s pursuit of a new stadium, saying Arlington Heights is the “main focus.”

“That is the only location in Cook County that works,” he said. “I mean we had discussions for over a year with individuals from the city of Chicago about the Museum Campus… we couldn’t resolve the open issues. The Michael Reese site doesn’t work, it’s too small. So, Arlington Heights is our main focus.”

Although the Bears’ shift in direction was announced more than three months ago, Warren’s comments on Friday night were especially significant as he revealed problems with the city of Chicago’s stadium proposal.

Warren said, as the team pursues a new stadium in Arlington Heights, the Bears are “excited” to continue their conversations with Mayor Jim Tinaglia and his team, with whom they meet twice a week.

“To have an opportunity to build a transformative stadium project, 326 acres with an entertainment district, to be able to bid and host all those events that the state of Illinois has never had a chance to do like the Super Bowl and the Fina Four and College Football Playoff games and concerts,” Warren said during the live interview. “Arlington Heights is the best location in Cook County for us to build the new Chicago Bears football stadium.”

NBC Chicago reached out to Johnson’s office for a response on Warren’s latest comments but still hadn’t heard back as of Friday night.

In May, the Bears released a statement to NBC Chicago, saying they had “made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights.”

The statement came after a spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said executive leadership from the team have “indicated they intend to prioritize the development site located in the Village of Arlington Heights.”

However, the spokesperson stated, “As the Mayor has said several times, the door remains open in the city of Chicago.”

The team’s shift in direction wasn’t necessarily surprising since the Bears were met with resistance from Chicago and state lawmakers over their requests for some public financing of the project and encountered questions from advocacy groups like Friends of the Parks over the lakefront location.

In late April, the Arlington Heights village board approved an agreement with a consulting firm to evaluate an economic impact study surrounding the new stadium and proposed entertainment district. The village also hired a consultant to take an in-depth look at the traffic impacts of the proposed development.

The Bears had previously pivoted away from building a domed stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights, though they never ruled out the property entirely. Then, while speaking to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms in April, Warren confirmed that the Bears’ stadium project was “really down to the Museum Campus and downtown Arlington Heights.”

The team bought the now-shuttered Arlington Park racecourse for nearly $200 million in 2023, but a property tax dispute stalled their plans.