El Mundo Deportivo says after shaking hands on his move from Arsenal, Henry dined with Barca powerbrokers, including president Joan Laporta and sports director Txiki Begiristain.

With them locked in talks over a fee with Monaco for Toure, they asked Henry his opinion of the midfielder and he replied passionately: "He's a great player. You are getting a phenomenon."

Henry went on to compare Toure with his former Arsenal teammate Patrick Vieira, having trained with the youngster when he had trials with the Gunners over three years ago.