Jun 25, 2007 - 9:02 AM
0 shoutsBy Mike Perez Special to PA SportsTicker
BARCELONA (Ticker) - France striker Thierry Henry passed his physical at Barcelona on Monday morning and will be presented to the Spanish media later.
PA SportsTicker understands the Arsenal player has agreed a four-year contract with Barca worth around $32 million to the English Premiership club.
The 29-year-old arrived in the Catalan city on a private flight from London on Sunday, where he met by Barcelona officials.
Barca was keen to sign Henry last summer but the player opted to sign a new four-year contract at Arsenal.
Since then, however, there have been changes at the London club and Henry has cited the departure of vice-chairman David Dein and the uncertainty over manager Arsene Wenger's long-term future as factors in his decision to leave.
Henry has enjoyed a phenomenal eight years at Arsenal, scoring a club record 226 goals in 364 appearances.
The former Monaco player joined the club in the summer of 1999 after a disappointing spell at Italian side Juventus and found his form under the guidance of Wenger.
He won two English Premier League titles, finished as the competition's top scorer four times and collected the English FA Cup three times.
He also appeared in last year's Champions League final when Arsenal was beaten by Barcelona.
"Arsenal will always be in my blood and in my heart and I will always remember you guys," Henry told Arsenal TV. "I said I was going to be a Gunner (Arsenal player) for life, and I didn't lie because, once you are a Gunner, you will always be 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 their results. I always gave 100 percent. I hope you appreciate what I did here. I appreciated what you did for me."
Henry's departure has fueled speculation that Wenger, the club's successful long-serving manager may not remain beyond the remaining year of his contract.
