For the past several days, speculation has been mounting that France World Cup winner Thierry Henry will join MLS expansion club Seattle for its inaugural 2009 season. Various reports in England are linking the unhappy Barcelona striker with a move to America, a move that the player himself has said he hopes to make one day. According to British paper The Sun , Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, a majority shareholder with the Seattle club, will attempt to lure the Frenchman to Seattle in a deal worth $300,000 a week. That figure is of course outlandish, but Seattle is looking into to the possibility of landing the former Arsenal striker.
In an interview with the Seattle Post Intelligencer, club GM Adrian Hanauer says, "Thierry Henry is one of my favorite players of all time. He has spoken in the past about coming to MLS to play soccer. I am now in a position with the Seattle franchise to consider such a player. It would be irresponsible of me not to explore and consider a possibility like this."
Henry, 30, joined Barcelona from Arsenal last summer in a move worth $32.2 million. He reportedly earns $256,000 a week and has three more years left on his contract, although given Barcelona's slumping form and Henry's failure to impress, he may be allowed to leave at the end of the season. Reports in Spain claim that Barca is planning a summer clear out as its hopes of a La Liga title fade. The club is currently seven points behind leader Real Madrid with seven games left to play.
Henry has 14 goals in 38 games for Barcelona.