Real: No interest in Henry

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez today denied his club were interested in signing Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

The prolific Frenchman was widely believed to top Real Madrid's shopping list this summer.

However, Henry has reinforced his loyalty to Arsenal, making it clear that he has no intention of swapping London for the Spanish capital.

"He is a great player but if you are asking whether or not he was in our most intimate thoughts, the truth is that he never was," said Perez, bringing back memories of his denials last year that the club were in the running to sign David Beckham from Manchester United before they sealed a move for the England captain.

Real will be looking to sign another star player at the end of the season after a series of poor results which have seen them crash out of Champions League in the quarter-finals and struggle in the Primera Liga.

Perez is keen on Real Sociedad midfielder Xavi Alonso.

He said: "I like him a lot. I have not spoken to the Real Sociedad president about him, although I did say that if they were going to sell anyone they should speak to us first."