Story highlights
American striker leaves English Premier League side Spurs after one season
Dempsey scored 12 goals in 43 appearances for Spurs following six years at Fulham
Gareth Bale misses Spurs trip to Monaco for pre-season friendly
Real Madrid interesting in signing 24-year-old winger for possible world record fee
Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that striker Clint Dempsey is returning to the U.S. to play Major League Soccer (MLS).
“We have reached agreement with Major League Soccer for the transfer of Clint Dempsey … We wish Clint every success for the future.” read a brief statement on the Spurs website published Saturday.
The 30-year-old scored 12 goals in 43 appearances for the North London club following his ￡6 million ($9 million) move from Fulham in August 2012.
Read: The transfer window explained
Dempsey, who played for MLS team New England Revolution from 2004-2006 before joining Fulham in 2007, is believed to be on the brink of signing for the Seattle Sounders.
Dempsey’s departure from White Hart Lane follows the recent signing of Spanish international Roberto Soldado.
Spurs forked out a club record ￡26 million ($40 million) for the 28-year-old striker who scored 59 times in 101 appearances for Valencia during a three-year spell.
Read: New York Cosmos reawakened
In other transfer news, Spurs star winger Gareth Bale did not travel with Spurs to Monaco for a pre-season friendly against the Ligue 1 side on Saturday.
The Welsh international’s absence from the trip has increased speculation that talks about a possible move to Real Madrid are advancing.
Blog: The Real Deal: Is Bale worth $120 million?
Bale, who scored 21 league goals last season, is keen on a move to the Bernabeu. Latest reports suggest that Los Blancos are prepared to pay upwards of $120 million to secure the 24-year-old’s services.