Liverpool Transfer Rumors: Reds Must Work Quickly to Solidify Clint Dempsey Deal

If the rumors are true, Clint Dempsey could be closer than ever to becoming a member of Liverpool.

The Fulham star was the subject of abundant rumors for the majority of the transfer window. There were reports that he was being moved, that he was staying put, that he was unhappy, that he refused to play for his current team.

Now, according to the Mirror, Liverpool is finally putting all of the pieces in place in order to bring him in.

The Mirror reports that John Henry and his cohorts "are trying to sell players to raise the funds to buy Clint Dempsey from Fulham," adding that the most likely moving pieces will be midfielders Charlie Adam and Jay Spearing. If all goes to plan, they'll be shipped out "in the next few days."

One slight holdup, according to the Mirror, is that in order to make the X's and O's work, Liverpool is trying to sell Adam in a part-exchange for Dempsey, but Adam doesn't necessarily want to make the move to London. And so, the impasse stretches on. 

At this stage, it's become excruciatingly clear that Dempsey has no intention of playing for Fulham. Late last week, Martin Jol told Goal.com's Seth Vertelney that the rumors are true—Dempsey wants out—and as a result, the forward was fined for refusing to play for his current club.

Via Vertelney, Jol even said the words, "While I would like to keep him, it's impossible because he wants to move." And yet, here we are, in the same place we've been all summer, just waiting for something to happen.

So who's at fault? Not Dempsey, and not Fulham. The culprit appears to be the Reds. 

According to The Guardian, Fulham filed a complaint to the Premier League on Thursday in response to Liverpool's pursuit of Dempsey. The Guardian writes:

"

Jol is frustrated by Liverpool's conduct and feels a distracted Dempsey is unfit to play once more. "It's the same situation. There has been no formal bid on the table and nothing has changed," Jol said.

"

Fulham is frustrated because Liverpool has verbally expressed interest in Dempsey—and Dempsey has verbally expressed interest in the Reds—but no solid offer has come through yet. Right now, all Fulham has is one discontented player and nowhere to send him.

And in that sense, it really isn't fair. Nobody can fault Dempsey for wanting to play for a team that said it wanted him, and nobody can fault Fulham for holding on to him; he has nowhere to go. Liverpool has simply been keeping both the team and the player hanging for all this time, and it needs to stop. 

That's why John Henry and Liverpool need to make something happen now. If they're interested in Dempsey, they need to work this out as soon as possible. And if they have no plans to actually make an offer for him, they need to make that very, very clear. 

But whatever outcome is on the horizon, this soap opera needs to end. Fast.