JUVE RULE OUT HENRY RETURN

The two strikers were in irresistible form during France`s 3-0 romp against Denmark, and the Italian press is always quick to link the outstanding stars of major tournaments with big-money moves to Serie A.

"We want to be competitive on all fronts, and especially in the Champions League, but Henry and Anelka are not right for us," said Ancelotti.

"We are covered with the players we already have in those roles. Henry has done well and appeals to me. In Juventus, he had difficulties to act like a forward, so we tried him out wide, but he did not find comfort in that position.

"He had large problems from the point of view of consistency," he continued. "Evidently, now he has matured.

"Anelka is a fine player, like we all knew, but, as I have said, those two cannot serve us because we are already covered in those roles."

The news will come as a relief to Arsene Wenger who has seen his top stars being touted around various giants of European football this summer. Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars and Patrick Vieira have all been linked with mega-moves to the continent.

Henry left Turin for North London last August, for a fee of around £10.5 million, but his value has soared since then as a blaze of goals with The Gunners carried them to the Uefa Cup final and the player into Roger Lemerre`s starting line-up.