Ferguson to launch £20million bid to land former Gunner Henry

Sir Alex Ferguson, whose team warm up against FA Cup winners Portsmouth in the FA Community Shield today, has made the ex-Arsenal hitman his top priority following the breakdown of United's attempt to sign Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham. Appropriately, if a deal goes through this week, Henry could make his United debut against Newcastle on his 31st birthday next Sunday.

Coming back: Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry could be on his way from Barcelona to Old Trafford

United will move quickly with their approach to Barcelona, the mercurial Frenchman's club, now that any interest they had in Berbatov is almost certainly at an end. The relationship between the domestic and European champions and Spurs has hit rock bottom, with bitterness deteriorating into open warfare.

Tottenham are determined to press home with their charge that United made an illegal approach for the Bulgarian, despite strong indications that a Premier League inquiry will rule that the champions have no case to answer.

Only a totally unexpected and completely unforeseen climbdown by Spurs could put the Berbatov deal back on, but by then it is likely to be too late - and Henry could be in the bag for the big kick-off.

The Frenchman is by no means a consolation prize. He has long been admired by Ferguson, coveted during his eight seasons with Arsenal from 1999-2007 and never off the United manager's radar, even after what many people regarded as, by his own standards, an uneventful season at the Nou Camp.

Ferguson has not forgotten that Henry, capped 102 times by France, was top scorer almost every season at Arsenal, achieving the distinction of becoming the club's all-time leading marksman with 226 goals in all competitions. He was Footballer of the Year on three occasions, and the main man in Arsene Wenger's march to two League titles and three FA Cups.

It has also not escaped Ferguson's notice that in a season at Barcelona when he was employed mainly on the wing, he still finished top scorer with 19 goals, one more than Samuel Eto'o and three more than Lionel Messi. Ferguson is also reassured that the series of injuries that blighted Henry's final months at the Emirates Stadium are behind him.