When FC Dallas signed goalkeeper Maarten Paes to a long-term contract after his loan ended in 2022, the thought was that they would eventually sell him to a European club down the line.

It sounds like that time is starting to come sooner rather than later.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Italian side Empoli have sent formal proposal to MLS and Dallas for Paes. The personal terms, but now it is going to come down to whether or not the Italian side will pay for a full transfer or if FC Dallas will be willing to accept a loan deal when the summer transfer window opens up later this month.


BDS Take

Yeah, this one really went from a ‘2’ to a ‘9’ or ‘10’ really quickly here in the last couple of days. There has always been an understanding that Paes would eventually go back to Europe, it was always a matter of when that day would come.

FC Dallas was smart to lock him up for a long-term deal in 2022 (which goes through 2026, with options through 2028), so any deal will require a fairly decent transfer fee when it is all said and done.

How much FC Dallas could get for Paes remains to be seen, but you have to hope it will be a seven-figure deal.

Aside from that, it will be a big letdown to lose Paes before the end of this season. He was recently named an MLS All-Star and has consistently been one of FC Dallas’ best players in 2024. He’a also really taken to Dallas as a city since arriving here. Which isn’t always something you see from European players that come here.

So, it would be a big loss for the club both on and off the field.