Fulham open Clint Dempsey contract talks

Clint Dempsey
© PA Photos
Fulham have opened contract talks with American midfielder Clint Dempsey.

The 29-year-old, who is the club's top scorer with 18 goals this season, is out of contract next year.

However, manager Martin Jol is hoping to tie the player down to a new three-year deal.

"We are talking to him," said Jol. "At any club, you want to keep your best players so that is what we try hard to do.

"If Clint Dempsey weren't here, we wouldn't be in this position because we have had to rely on him a lot of times to score goals.

"He is here for at least another year, so that is not a big problem. The problem is that we want to keep him here for longer. But the difference is not very big. He has 17 months left and we want to keep him here for the next three years."

The Cottagers, who are currently eighth in the Premier League table, travel to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Tables
TeamPGDPTS
1Manchester United374388
2Manchester City373378
3Chelsea373572
4Arsenal373470
5Tottenham Hotspur371969
6Everton371663
7Liverpool372758
8West Bromwich Albion37-448
9Swansea City37-146
10West Ham United37-1043
11Stoke City37-1141
12Norwich City37-1841
13Newcastle United37-2241
14Southampton37-1140
15Fulham37-1340
16Aston Villa37-2240
17Sunderland37-1239
RWigan Athletic37-2635
RReading37-2828
RQueens Park Rangers37-2925