Maarten Paes, a 10-time Indonesian international, signs a 3.5-year contract in Amsterdam and costs Ajax a reported €1.5 million.
The 27-year-old joined FC Dallas from Eredivisie side FC Utrecht in July 2022 for €1 million and was voted an MLS All-Pro in 2024, joining former Spurs star Hugo Lloris and ex-Dortmund stopper Roman Burki. Paes made 128 appearances across all competitions in his 3.5 years in Texas.
After veteran goalkeeper Remko Pasveer told the Ajax board he wanted to leave the club to end his career at Heracles Almelo, Ajax quickly shifted and started negotiations with FC Dallas for Paes. According to reports, Ajax have had Paes on their radar for nearly two years, and the Dutch-Indonesian stopper is known among the Ajax ranks as a 'pro's pro' and a tea player.
Marijn Beuker, director of football at Ajax, praised his new goalkeeper and called it a 'welcome arrival'.
"After we were informed of the concrete interest in Remko Pasveer, we acted immediately. We have been monitoring Maarten for several seasons and are pleased that we have now succeeded in bringing him to Ajax," Beuker said.
"The focus was on an experienced and reliable goalkeeper, and Maarten more than meets these criteria. He is also a real training beast, a team player with a top-level sporting mentality who perfectly fits the type of goalkeeper we were looking for. In combination with the talented goalkeepers we already have in-house, this provides a strong foundation for the coming seasons."
Paes is the second addition Ajax presented on Sunday after former Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, who signed a short-term contract in Amsterdam. According to reports, Ajax are also set to sign 19-year-old Argentinian winger Maher Carrizo from Velez Sarsfield.