Fulham have denied receiving a bid from Liverpool for Clint Dempsey, and have insisted the United States international is not for sale.
Speculation has been rife that the 29-year-old is set to move to Anfield, with a report on the Liverpool owners’ official website on Wednesday suggesting a deal was complete.
An article linked to the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) homepage claimed that Liverpool had “added Clint Dempsey to a team that came within a game of winning the FA Cup”.
But all mentions of Dempsey, who has a year left on his contract, were later removed from the article, and Fulham said the report was unfounded.
“We have received no offers from any club for Clint Dempsey,” a club spokesman said. “We would discourage any club from making a bid for him.”
It is understood the two clubs had a conversation about a possible move for Dempsey earlier in the summer but that has not been followed up by any official approach, contrary to reports.
Dempsey has been with west London side since 2007 after joining from Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution. The Texan has established himself as one of Fulham’s key players and won player of the season for 2011-12, also finishing fourth on the Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year list.
