By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 10:20 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2012
LONDON (AP) - U.S. soccer star Clint Dempsey is moving from Fulham to Tottenham, and national team captain Carlos Bocanegra was loaned from Glasgow Rangers to Racing Santander through the end of the season.
Dempsey was transferred Friday for a reported $9.5 million. The 29-year-old midfielder and forward a team-high 23 goals last season, including 17 in the Premier League, and had 60 goals in 5 1/2 seasons with Fulham.
Dempsey had refused to play for Fulham this season ahead of a widely expected move to Liverpool. After negotiations between Fulham and Liverpool foundered, he was able to secure a move across town to Spurs.
"Clint was a very influential player for Fulham over a number of seasons and the club thanks him for his contribution and wishes him well for the future," Fulham said.
Dempsey said he was excited to play for new Spurs manager Andre Vilas-Boas.
"To play under this head coach and play for this club is a dream come true. I want to make the most of it," Dempsey said on Tottenham's Twitter feed. "There are a lot of great players here, I'm looking forward to training and playing with them."
Dempsey said he had no ill will toward the Cottagers.
"A lot was said and written ahead of me leaving Fulham," Dempsey said. "It wasn't how it was portrayed, but that's in the past now and we move on. I want to thank the fans for everything, some of the best memories I've had in football, and thank the chairman for giving me the opportunity to come from the MLS and compete over here."
Tottenham also signed French national team goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Lyon for $12.6 million, which means American Brad Friedel is likely to lose his starting job.
Bocanegra, a defender, left Rangers along with American midfielder Maurice Edu, who transferred to Stoke, where he will join countryman Geoff Cameron. American Alejando Bedoya also has left Rangers for Helsingborg since the club filed for bankruptcy and was demoted to Scotland's fourth tier.
Racing Santander is in Spain's second division.
"I'm excited to be able to get the opportunity to play in Spain," Bocanegra told Sky Sports News. "I'm also excited that's it's a loan, because I can come back. I enjoy it here. It's football and these things happen. I got to get on with it."
In other deals involving U.S. players, defender Oguchi Onyewu was loaned from Sporting Lisbon to Malaga, and forward Joe Gyau was sent from Hoffenheim to St. Pauli on a loan. Malaga is in this season's Champions League.
Elsewhere, English champion Manchester City was busy on a relatively quiet deadline day.
City, which has been quiet in the transfer market this summer by its standards, acted late to sign Brazil right back Maicon from Inter Milan, highly rated winger Scott Sinclair from Swansea and Serbia defender Matija Nastasic from Fiorentina.
In return, manager Roberto Mancini sold Netherlands holding midfielder Nigel de Jong to AC Milan and moved striker Roque Santa Cruz to Spanish team Malaga on a season-long loan.
Manchester United sold Dimitar Berbatov to Fulham, and Rafael van der Vaart left Tottenham to rejoin Hamburg.
Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton joined French league leader Marseille in a one-year loan deal that had been widely expected for several days.
Real Madrid and Barcelona had long tied up their main transfer dealings for the summer, although Barca sent Dutch winger Ibrahim Afellay to Schalke, and Madrid signed Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien on a season-long loan.
In Italy, the window closed after Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner was loaned from Arsenal to champion Juventus, with a view to a permanent move at the end of the season, and free-agent Luca Toni rejoined Fiorentina just before the deadline.
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48868285/ns/sports-soccer/
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