Sources: AC Milan interested in Dempsey
By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports Sunday, Jul 4, 2010
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter at @mrogersyahoo
(Phil Cole/Getty Images)
The World Cup form of United States star Clint Dempsey has attracted the interest of Italian club giant AC Milan, Yahoo! Sports has learned.
According to multiple sources, Milan officials have monitored Dempsey’s progress for several months and were impressed enough by his efforts in South Africa to be considering a formal transfer bid.
Dempsey scored the USA’s goal in its World Cup opener, a 1-1 draw with England. He also drew the foul which earned the penalty kick that Landon Donovan converted in the Americans’ 2-1 extra-time loss to Ghana in the round of 16.
[Photos: See Clint Dempsey in action]
The 27-year-old has played midfielder and forward for English Premier League club Fulham for the past three seasons and has improved steadily to become a leading figure in the Cottagers’ squad.
While Milan would be a big step up, the Italian club’s new coach Massimiliano Allegri believes Dempsey’s hard-working approach could add some backbone to a team that floundered last season. Former coach Leonardo was fired after Milan could only manage a third-place finish in Serie A last season, 12 points behind city rival and league champion Inter Milan.
“[Dempsey] brings a lot of action and energy but he can be creative too,” said a Milan source who is close to the club’s board. “There are some options on the table but Dempsey is a realistic one. A bid is very possible, and soon.”
The source added that Dempsey’s magnificent chip for Fulham in a victory over Juventus in last season’s Europa League brought him to the attention of several Italian clubs.
Dempsey has settled into the squad at Fulham, but the London team’s future plans were thrown into doubt this week when manager Roy Hodgson jumped ship to take charge of Liverpool.
Money is not a serious issue with Milan, which could easily afford the transfer fee of around $12 million that Fulham would command.
The deal mirrors the one that took American defender Oguchi Onyewu to Milan a year ago. Onyewu had been on the club’s radar for several months, but his performance for the U.S. in the Confederations Cup convinced Milan he was the right man.
“[Fulham] are aware that if a club like [Milan] comes in it is hard for a player to say no,” said a source close to Fulham. The source added that while no formal bid had yet been lodged the EPL club was “well aware” of Milan’s interest.