BARCELONA are plotting a fresh £20million bid for Thierry Henry. And the Catalan giants believe a renewed assault for the Arsenal striker could finally pay off. The shock news came as American tycoon Stan Kroenke snapped up 9.9 per cent of the club to spark takeover talk.Henry, 29, was wanted by Barca and Real Madrid last summer but the Frenchman decided to stick with the Gunners. Now Nou Camp transfer chief Txiki Begiristain is ready to test boss Arsene Wenger’s resolve to hold on to his skipper.
Henry has already told club officials he wants to remain in North London for the rest of his career. Yet Barcelona, who could lose Samuel EtoÂ’o in the summer, plan to pressure Wenger into letting Henry leave after going two successive seasons without a trophy.
But Arsenal know they would still face a major problem if they sold Henry without bringing in a top-class replacement. KroenkeÂ’s move to buy a 9.9 per cent stake in Arsenal has made a takeover more likely. The US billionaire, who owns MLS team the Colorado Rapids, bought the stake from ITV.
He paid the broadcaster £65m — which includes £23.1m for ITV’s 50 per cent stake in the club’s broadband operations. Kroenke said last night: “Because of our long-time involvement in major sports, we greatly admire Arsenal Football Club.
“We appreciate the club’s outstanding legacy, sporting tradition, and exceptional commitment of its supporters.” The deal makes Kroenke Arsenal’s fourth-biggest shareholder.