Liverpool Transfer Rumours: Fulham Denies Reports Reds Have Landed Clint Dempsey

Liverpool has been in hot pursuit of Fulham forward and American star Clint Dempsey throughout the transfer window, and John Edwards of the Daily Mail is reporting that a deal is nearly done. Fulham, however, has denied that any type of agreement has been reached.

According to BBC, Fulham officials maintain that they have not received any bids for Dempsey and that he remains a member of the team. The report also highlights the fact that the owner of Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group, posted on its website that the Reds had acquired Dempsey. It was later taken down, though, and proven erroneous.

As is often the case when it comes to transfer rumors, there is a lot of speculation being thrown around by both sides. The fact of the matter is, however, that after scoring 23 goals last season, Dempsey has gotten a bit too big for Craven Cottage. He clearly wants to test his skill with one of the EPL's elite teams and, with only one year left on his contract, Fulham will likely have to oblige.

The Cottagers can choose to keep Dempsey for the season and then lose him for nothing, but that would be terrible for the team's future. There may be a thought that Fulham can convince him to sign an extension over the course of the upcoming season, but Dempsey has accomplished all he can with Fulham, so I can't see him budging.

The Daily Mail report suggests that Liverpool and Fulham agreed to a £10 million transfer fee for Dempsey, but that obviously has yet to be set in stone. It was also reported by Edwards that Dempsey joining Liverpool would make Andy Carroll expendable and available to any club willing to offer £20 million in exchange for him.

Transferring Dempsey to Liverpool makes a lot of sense for both the Reds and Fulham as well, so I have to believe that it is only a matter of time before a deal is officially struck. It is clear that today's reports jumped the gun a bit as both Liverpool and Fulham have admitted that nothing has been finalized, but that doesn't mean that the deal is dead by any means.

Dempsey deserves a chance to thrive at the highest level and be a contributor for a team that is in the mix for an EPL title. Also, Liverpool is in need of a boost after a fairly disappointing campaign last season, so Dempsey and Liverpool would truly be the perfect soccer marriage at this point.

Fulham has to realize that there aren't many options at this point, so as difficult as it may be to let Dempsey go, that seems like the most likely endgame, although it's dangerous to assume that something is a sure thing, as Edwards proved.

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