Henry brushes aside speculation
The 28-year-old French World Cup winner has declared his desire to remain in north London, but as yet, no new deal has been formally agreed.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is a keen admirer of Henry, although the club themselves have officially refused to comment on the possibility of the striker moving to the Nou Camp.
That stance, however, has not stopped the issue being debated in the press, both here and in Spain. The Frenchman has also been linked with a move to Italian side Inter Milan.
Henry produced another impressive display as the Gunners brushed aside Charlton 3-0 at Highbury on Saturday, and had used his programme notes to dismiss the reports as nothing more than unsubstantiated speculation.
The Arsenal captain later said: "If it did bother me, you would have seen some bad performances from me on the pitch. I get this so many times - you cannot stop people speculating.
"The way I have been playing at the moment, you can see that does not really bother me. You are going to have people speculating until the end of the season, and that is the way it is. My main concern right now is to be in the top four, because it is vital for the club."
Manager Arsene Wenger has also seen his name linked with a move to take charge at Real Madrid, while England full-back Ashley Cole is said to be wanted by Spain's top two.
However, the Gunners boss again categorically rejected all the speculation.
"I always said that I will stick to my contract and that we are going into a new stadium. We are building a team. So from my side, there is no doubt, there was never doubt in mind.
"Ashley Cole is under contract and Henry as well is under contract. For me it is vital that they stay here, but I hope we have soon good news from Ashley Cole, who has two more years to go," Wenger said.
"Thierry Henry has one year to go and we are in a situation where we want to extend his contract."
Wenger reflected on a job well done after watching Arsenal brush Charlton to boost their hopes of finishing in the top four. The Gunners recorded a third straight league win without really getting into top gear.
Robert Pires put them ahead with a close-range finish to a fine flowing move after 13 minutes, and Arsenal went into the break 2-0 ahead when Emmanuel Adebayor capitalised on a terrible blunder by Charlton defender Hermann Hreidarsson.
Belarus midfielder Alexander Hleb, who again put in another impressive display, added a third five minutes into the second-half to wrap up the points.
"The game was never really in doubt today," said manager Wenger.
"We got a good start and there was good movement, although we missed a few chances. You never felt Charlton would have a period where they could get back.
"The team looks to be getting better and better, and is growing with every game. So, overall, it was a very positive game." Tottenham are strong rivals to Arsenal for fourth place, however, and with Bolton and Blackburn both also winning, Wenger knows it is not just a two-team race to secure the final qualifying berth for the Champions League.
: Robert Pires has scored in each of his last three starts against Charlton at Highbury.
: The Addicks managed only one shot on target against Arsenal on Saturday.
