Liverpool Transfer News: Reds Must Lock Up Clint Dempsey Quickly

Liverpool remains heavily linked to coveted transfer target Clint Dempsey, but progress toward a deal has been slow in recent days, leaving the door open for a potential deal to fall apart. The Reds can't afford for that to happen.

Alan Nixon of the Daily Mirror reported on Monday that new manager Brendan Rodgers was preparing an offer of £7.5 million for the Fulham star. There have been few meaningful updates on the situation since that point, however.

The 29-year-old striker scored 23 goals in 46 games across all competitions for the Cottagers last season, a breakout season for him at the Premier League level after years of showing potential but not being able to put it all together.

Dempsey, who's also a key piece of the United States national team, finally found the perfect balance between his terrific strength and the finesse side of the game. It allowed him to become a lot more potent in front of goal, drawing attention from several teams, including the Reds.

Rodgers has spent a lot of time since taking over at Anfield trying to figure out ways to boost a squad that finished a disappointing eighth in the EPL last season. One of the main reason for those struggles was a severe lack of offense.

The Reds found the net just 47 times in league play, which put them in a sandwich between Blackburn and Bolton in goals. Both of those teams ended up getting relegated. Luckily, Liverpool's defense was enough to keep them afloat.

Of course, most fans will immediately point toward Andy Carroll as the reason the Reds' offense didn't produce. The forward simply hasn't lived up to the hype since arriving to Anfield from Newcastle United, scoring just four league goals last season.

That said, it was really a team-wide failure. Carroll needed to do a lot more, but so did several other stars. Luis Suarez was the only player to reach a double-digit goal total in EPL play and nobody else had more than six.

Rodgers knows that type of production isn't going to cut it. So he needs to increase the urgency in getting a deal completed with Dempsey, who has proved he can be the spark plug the Reds need to start trending in the right direction again.

It would only be one in a series of moves necessary to add more attacking punch, but at least it should get the ball rolling. Dempsey would have no shortage of motivation as he looks to prove last campaign wasn't a fluke.

Even though all the speculation points toward a deal getting done, fans have come to learn that nothing is official until the pen hits the paper. Liverpool needs to make sure that happens with Dempsey.