LONDON -- United States midfielder Clint Dempsey has extended his contract with English club Fulham until the end of the 2012-13 season.
Dempsey joined the west London club from New England Revolution in January 2007 and signed a second contract in May 2008.
That two-year deal had been set to expire at the end of the coming season, when the 26-year-old midfielder would have been able to leave without being subject to a transfer fee.
Dempsey has hit 14 goals in 81 Premier League matches for Fulham and was joint leading scorer with seven last season, when the club finished in seventh place for its best ever topflight finish.
Dempsey started 28 of Fulham's 38 Premier League matches last season and came on as a substitute in another seven. He then scored against Egypt, Spain and Brazil to help the United States finish runner-up at June's Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Dempsey scored 25 goals in 71 games for the Revolution but was mostly a substitute in his first few months with Fulham, taking nine Premier League games to find the net.
His first goal was the winner in a 1-0 victory at Liverpool in May 2007 that secured the club's Premier League place following a season threatened by relegation.
He was one of five American players in the squad the following season, when he started 29 Premier League games and scored six times.
Goalkeeper Kasey Keller, defender Carlos Bocanegra and forwards Brian McBride have since left the club, but striker Eddie Johnson still plays alongside Dempsey for the Cottagers.
