Philadelphia Union's deal to send defender Carlos Valdés to Colombia’s Independiente Santa Fe not finished yet

Although the official website of Colombian club Independiente Santa Fe announced the signing of Union defender Carlos Valdés on Sunday evening, the deal is apparently not yet complete.

A source with direct knowledge of the talks told Philly.com that the paperwork has not yet been signed, and has not even been received by the Union's front office yet.

Independiente's announcement stated that the loan deal includes an option to buy Valdés' rights at the end of the year.

Santa Fe is a club with which Valdés is very familiar. He played there for two years before coming to Philadelphia.

In fact, the terms of the proposed deal by which Valdés would return to Colombia are similar to the terms of the deal that brought him to the Union. He initially came to Philadelphia on a one-year loan starting in January of 2011. The Union purchased his rights in full in August of that year.

If the deal is finished, Union fans likely won't be happy with seeing another team captain depart. But the context for this deal is far different from those which have seen Faryd Mondragón and Danny Califf leave Philadelphia over the last 12 months.

Valdés has made it clear that he wants to play for Colombia's national team, and coach José Pekerman is known to not think highly of Major League Soccer. Valdés has recently made it on to Pekerman's radar, and thanks in part to his performances the cafeteros are on track to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Moving back to Colombia would help Valdés remain in Pekerman's good graces. And if it's any consolation, Valdés wouldn't be the first prominent Colombian to leave MLS in this offseason.

It has been widely reported that Fredy Montero, the Seattle Sounders' best goalscorer since they joined MLS in 2009, is heading to Colombian powerhouse Millionarios. The Seattle Times reported that his deal, like Valdés', is also a one-year loan with an option to buy.

Montero was revered in Seattle, and publicly thanked Sounders fans with a rare English-language statement on his Twitter feed.

In addition to earning Valdés more exposure with his country's national team, moving to Santa Fe would also get him into the prestigious Copa Libertadores. The tournament is South America's equivalent of the Champions League.

Playing in Libertadores games could get Valdés attention from scouts with European teams. Valdés has publicly admitted to wanting to make a move across the Atlantic at some point in his career.

And if Independiente eventually buys Valdés' contract from the Union, the Union could benefit financially more than once. There's every chance that the deal would be structured so that the Union would earn a portion of any transfer fee gained from Valdés' subsequent moves.

That might not salve Union fans' wounds in the short term. But down the road, it could pay real dividends.