Real Madrid have denied they are interested in signing Arsenal’s French international striker Thierry Henry.

“We are not chasing Henry. There has been no discussion about this subject at the club,” said Real’s director of sport Jorge Valdano on Wednesday.

Asked about Henry’s statement last week that he had no intention of leaving Arsenal, Valdano said: “When someone says they do not want to come to Real Madrid everyone takes it to mean that they do in fact want to come.”

Real issued a similiar denial last year, when a club statement said they had “no intention of signing David Beckham”.

Two months later Beckham was a Real player.