LONDON, May 19 - Arsenal captain Thierry Henry said on Friday he had decided to stay at the club following their Champions League final defeat by Barcelona.

The 28-year-old France striker, who has been linked with a move to the Spanish side, told The Sun newspaper: "I hope to stay as long as I can keep running. I couldn't leave the fans, they're like family."

Henry hopes to sign a four-year deal, the newspaper said.

One of the most coveted strikers in the world, Henry has kept Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and the club's fans on tenterhooks this season by refusing to say whether he would stay at the club.

He joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999 and scored his 200th goal for the London club last season, making him their all-time leading scorer. He scored 27 Premier League goals to again finish as the competition's top scorer. He was named English Football Writers' player of the year last month, the third time he has won the award.

Henry said the brave performance of his team mates in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Barcelona in Paris, when they played most of the match with 10 men after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off, had helped to make up his mind to stay.

"My team showed me I didn't have to leave. They showed me they had heart," he added.

"Everything was up in the air for a very long time. But at the end of the day, the team raised their game.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Barcelona. But on Wednesday night, Arsenal showed me they had heart.

"After we lost on Wednesday, I went over to our fans and clapped them and they clapped me.

"I hope to finalise all the details today."

If Henry does re-sign it will be a huge boost to the club ahead of their move to their new, larger Emirates stadium next season.