Liverpool chairman a Dempsey fan

At first they were just rumours but the talk is beginning to strengthen. The latest club to have solidified their interest in Clint Dempsey appears to be Liverpool, with chairman Tom Werner declaring his admiration for the American midfielder.

Over recent months Dempsey has been linked to clubs all the way across Europe but the feeling has been that Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal team have had to most authentic impetus to lodge a bid over the summer months. It is said they have sent scouts to track Fulham's key player and they have reported back to Wenger favourably.

Having yet again topped Fulham's scoring charts and appearing in the higher echelons of the Premier League's top scorer list, despite plying his trade mainly in midfield, Dempsey is considered to be having a career defining season that has, undoubtedly, perked the ears of many top clubs. Liverpool are but the latest.

Werner's appraisals were short but they were equally sharp: "We never talk publicly about our transfer targets," said the Liverpool chairman. "However, any team would be lucky to have Clint Dempsey playing on their squad."

Quite the acclamation. However, it will remain to be seen as to whether a move to Merseyside would interest Dempsey, who has regularly spoken of his desire to play Champions League football. The only European football at Anfield next season will be the Europa League and Dempsey is a player already aware of the arduous nature of such a campaign.

Whether Werner's eagerness to declare an interest in the player will spark a similar reaction at sides such as Arsenal and Tottenham, both of whom have been linked with Dempsey in the past, remains to be seen. What is a virtual certainty, however, is that these rumours will come to the surface come June.