FRISCO, Texas — FC Dallas reportedly received a $13 million bid for forward Jesus Ferreira from Russian club Spartak Moscow, but Major League Soccer (MLS) stepped in and nixed the deal, according to The Athletic's Tom Bogert.
Bogert reported that Ferreira "wanted to make the move and was in negotiations with Spartak over personal terms when MLS communicated its decision to Dallas and Ferreira." According to Bogert, MLS' reasoning for nixing the deal was "there are risks for American business entities doing business with Russian entities."
Ferreira, 23, has become the club's latest top prospect being coveted by other top clubs from around the world. He has played in 148 MLS matches (regular season and playoffs) for FC Dallas, tallying 49 goals and 28 assists since 2017. Ferreira also has appeared for the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) 23 times, scoring 15 goals and dishing four assists. He was part of the 26-man roster the US took to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
MLS has the authority to stop the transfer because, as a single-entity league, all paperwork and transfers go through the MLS office, The Athletic reported.
The league's reported interference of the deal supports an international stance taken against Russian-based clubs since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On Feb. 28, 2022, FIFA and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced a ban of all Russian clubs and national teams. That same day, U.S. Soccer released a statement saying it would not play matches in Russia.
Ferreira joins a long line of FC Dallas academy products who have garnered interest from international clubs. Some of the higher profile names on that list include: Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, Queens Park Rangers defender Reggie Cannon, PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi, and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards.
The potential deal for Ferreira would have been among the most expensive transfers in FC Dallas history, but not the highest. Though Pepi now plays for PSV Eindhoven, his initial transfer from FC Dallas was a deal with Augsburg for $18 million. Pepi played in 15 matches for FC Augsburg, was later loaned to Eredivisie club FC Groningen for the remainder of the season, then signed a five-year contract with PSV Eindhoven after the Dutch club agreed to pay $9.8 million to Augsburg for his transfer.
FC Dallas officials declined WFAA's request for comment. WFAA has also reached out to MLS officials for comment on The Athletic's report.
The Athletic's report comes after Ferreira scored the only goal in a preseason friendly against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at the Cotton Bowl. Ferreira scored two minutes and 45 seconds into the match, and FC Dallas held onto that lead to defeat Inter Miami, 1-0.
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