Barca in for Henry

In a blockbuster move Thierry Henry appears ready to end his eight-year stay with Arsenal as reports are flooding across the wires that he has agreed to sign for Barcelona in a £16m transfer deal with Henry agreeing to terms on a four-year, £130,000-a-week contract . No official announcement has appeared on either club’s website as of 5pm CST. Henry, who featured in only 27 games at the Emirates Stadium this season due to injury, turns 30 in August, and may have lost patience with Arsenal’s current rebuilding process. Henry was the subject of much speculation regarding a move to Barcelona last summer.

Henry’s singing will ignite two sets of rumours. First, it will restart the talk that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will take over at the Nou Camp, despite Barca president Joan Laporta insisting that Frank Rijkaard’s job is safe. Henry’s arrival would also start the summer overhaul expected at Barca after finishing second in the league this season and failing to capture any trophies at all since last year’s massive La Liga-Champions League double. Juliano Belletti, Sylvinho, Thiago Motta, Edmilson, Ludovic Giuly, Santiago Ezquerro and Javier Saviola are expected to meet with club management over their futures and at least a couple of those names will be released or sold by the club. Eidur Gudjohnsen, Rafa Márquez and Lilian Thuram could also leave the club if suitable offers are made for their contracts.

According to media reports in the last few days, Barca coach Frank Rijkaard also intends to add Roma’s Christian Chivu and Monaco’s Yaya Toure — brother of Arsenal defender Kolo — as well as Eric Abidal from Lyon to his squad.