Hard-up Hammers make Henry a bumper deal

Despite narrowly avoiding relegation, and being in debt, West Ham are prepared to offer Thierry Henry £75,000 a week.

Despite narrowly avoiding relegation from the English Premier League this season and being millions of pounds in debt, West Ham are prepared to offer Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal striker, £75,000 (Dh394,000) a week in a move which would see the Frenchman become the highest-paid player in the club's history. Henry has been linked with a move away from Barcelona with reports indicating the New York Red Bulls, the Major League Soccer side, could be a possible destination. However, David Sullivan, the West Ham joint chairman, wants to offer the 32-year-old a two-year deal worth £7.5m in total.

Sullivan told The Sun: "We're trying to assemble a more prolific strike force at West Ham and I'd love to have Henry here. Our club is in debt but a striker of his quality and standing would make it a great deal. Henry is still up there with the best. "I've made an offer which would make him the highest-paid player in the club's history. And it's a serious offer." Zinedine Zidane is pleased Franck Ribery looks set to commit his future to Bayern Munich, even if it means the pair will not get to work together at the Bernabeu next season. Zidane works for Real Madrid as an adviser and has already tried to convince Ribery to join the Spaniards, but it now appears the France winger is going to sign a new five-year deal with the German side.

"The important thing is that the player does what his heart says," Zidane told Bild. "He does not have to join Real just because I say so. If he stays [with Bayern], then I think it is perfect. I would have really liked to have him here because he is a great player and I like him as a person." Birmingham's veteran goalkeeper Maik Taylor has agreed a new one-year contract with the Premier League club. Keith Fahey, the 27-year-old Irish midfielder, will also be offered a new deal after an impressive season, less than 18 months after joining from St Patrick's Athletic.

Taylor's previous deal expired this summer and the 38-year-old spent the last campaign as No 2 to on-loan Joe Hart who has now been replaced by the £6m capture from Manchester United, Ben Foster. But the Northern Ireland international has impressed Alex McLeish, the manager, sufficiently to be given a new contract. McLeish said: "Maik has accepted a new deal. I can see him becoming a future coach.

"He is nearing the age of 40, but like David James [the Portsmouth and England keeper] he is in superb condition." * Compiled by Thomas Woods, with agencies