HENRY COMPLETES BARCA MOVE

Thierry Henry has completed his £16.15million move from Arsenal to Barcelona.

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HENRY MAKES SAD EXIT

Thierry Henry admits he will miss Arsenal and claims he will be a "Gunner for life" despite his impending departure.

The London club's record goalscorer is on the brink of completing a reported £16million move to Barcelona.

Henry is due in Catalonia to finalise terms today and is expected to be unveiled tomorrow, but he claims he leaves with a heavy heart.

"Arsenal will always be in my blood and in my heart and I will always remember you guys," the 29-year-old told Arsenal TV.

"I said I was going to be a Gunner for life and I didn't lie because once you are a Gunner you will always a Gunner. The club is in my heart and will remain in my heart forever.

"I am going to miss everybody. It's going to be a huge miss. I will become now an Arsenal fan and look always for the result.

"I always gave 100%. I hope you appreciate what I did here. I appreciated what you did for me."

Henry has cited the uncertainty over manager Arsene Wenger's future and the recent departure of former vice chairman David Dein as factors in his decision to head for Spain.

He added: "I would like to thank everybody I have been involved with at Arsenal, especially the boss and Mr Dein."


Henry has been one of the greatest players to grace the English game and his record at Arsenal has been outstanding with 226 goals coming in 364 appearances.


The former Monaco player joined the club in the summer of 1999 after a disappointing spell at Juventus and game of age under the guidance of Wenger.


He won two Premier League titles, finished as the competition's top scorer on four occasions and collected the FA Cup three times.


He also appeared in last year's Champions League final when the Gunners were beaten by the club he is joining, Barcelona.


The Spanish club first attempted to sign the player last summer but Henry declined, choosing to sign a new four-year contract.


Since then, however, the change behind the scenes at the Emirates Stadium has unsettled the Frenchman.


He added: "Before Mr Dein left, for whatever reason, I went to the boss and said 'I don't want to leave'.


"There had been a lot of speculation about me and I assured him that I did not want to leave.


"But after Mr Dein left that unsettled the team and the boss. Especially as at the moment he has not committed himself to the club.


"He said he will see out his contract but you cannot be sure if he is going to go or stay (at the end of next season).


"Hopefully he is going to stay but I need to be certain and reassured of that. Everybody knows I am 30 [in August].


"The boss being unsettled, Mr Dein going, it did unsettle me a bit. After that I had thoughts of leaving the club."

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BARCA OPEN TO HENRY MOVE

Barcelona are ready to make another approach for Arsenal striker Thierry Henry if the Frenchman indicates his desire to leave England.

The 29-year-old committed his future to the Gunners last summer amid interest from Barca but the Catalan club's sporting director Txiki Beguiristain revealed they are waiting for Henry to show his hand.

"If he has the desire to play here, then we can see if it's going to happen or not," Beguiristain told the Sunday Express.

"Barcelona remains the same. It is the perfect place for players who want to come here. I always say the same thing - it's down to the players to decide."

One who hopes Henry decides to come to the Nou Camp is his international team-mate Lilian Thuram.

"It would be great if he came to Barcelona. It would very good for the club because he's a great player - and for him it would be positive too because this club is ideal for him," he told the News of the World.

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BARCA REVIVE HENRY SWOOP - REPORTS

Barcelona are again trying to persuade Thierry Henry to join them this summer, according to reports from Catalonia.

The La Liga giants tried in vain to lure Henry from North London last year, but eventually he snubbed their advances and signed a new deal.

After a trophyless season at the Emirates Stadium though the Spaniards apparently believe they've a great chance of finally getting the French striker to commit to a move.

According to El Mundo Deportivo Barca are hoping their advances will get agreement from Henry to move to Spain.

The Catalan daily claims Barca bosses Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begeristain are hoping to seal a deal this summer, and says contact has been made with Henry's camp.

It also says Barca could revive the four-year contract they'd put in place for Henry last year.

Then it appeared almost certain he'd move to the Nou Camp, but decided to stay in London after the Gunners lost 2-1 to Barca in the Champions League final in Paris.

Of course even if Barca did manage to get Henry's agreement for a move they'd still have to persuade Arsenal to let him go.

One man who'd love to see Henry at the Nou Camp is his former France team-mate Lilian Thuram.

He told El Mundo: "If Thierry Henry wanted to change clubs tomorrow it would be great if he came to Barca. It would be very good for the club because he is a great player and for him also because the way Barca play would be ideal for him."

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BORO STEP UP ALIADIERE INTEREST

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate's pursuit of Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere could finally pay dividends this summer.

It is understood the Teessiders have agreed a deal with the Gunners which could take the 24-year-old Frenchman to the Riverside Stadium.

However, the player is currently on holiday and has not yet discussed the proposed move.

Southgate tried to sign Aliadiere last season to bolster his striking resources, but having failed in his efforts to lure him away from the Emirates Stadium, turned instead to South Korea international Dong-Gook Lee.

The Rambouillet-born frontman played a major role in Arsenal's Carling Cup campaign, but his first-team appearances were once again limited.

But with Mark Viduka's future uncertain - he is being heavily tipped to join derby rivals Newcastle with his contract due to expire within weeks - and Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp being linked with a move to take Ayegbeni Yakubu back to Fratton Park, Southgate's need is pressing.

The Boro manager is currently on a two-week residential course at Lilleshall as he studies for his UEFA A Licence, while chairman Steve Gibson is on holiday and chief executive Keith Lamb was attending Friday's meeting of Premier League chairmen.

There was no comment on the matter from the club, but Southgate is known to have included the likes of Aliadiere and West Brom's Diomansy Kamara among his list of potential targets.

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