Premier League side Everton said on Thursday the 32-year-old striker had signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with DC United and would complete the formalities of the move when the U.S. mid-season transfer window opens on July 10. He is expected to make his debut in the inaugural match at Audi Field on July 14 against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Rooney’s deal is worth a reported £10 million, meaning he becomes the highest paid player in DC United’s history.
* Former Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard successfully negotiated the qualifying draw on Thursday, beating Colombian Mariana Duque-Marino 6-3 6-2 to secure a spot in next week's main draw. Ranked 191, the Canadian had to run the gauntlet of Roehampton and after winning two rounds held her nerve against Duque-Marino, who had narrowly missed automatic Wimbledon entry.
* Defending champion Karolina Pliskova squandered a 4-1 lead in the deciding set as she was knocked out of the pre-Wimbledon Eastbourne grasscourt championships by Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday. The Czech seemed to have everything under control after recovering from the loss of the first set but her game went off the boil and Sabalenka stormed back to win 6-3 2-6 7-6(5). Sabalenka's first victory over a top-10 opponent means that in the semi-finals she will face former champion Agnieszka Radwanska.
* The Moroccan Football Federation on Thursday complained to world soccer's governing body FIFA over what it said were a series of refereeing mistakes in their World Cup Group B matches against Portugal and Spain which led to their elimination. The federation said the "serious referee errors" led to their early exit and that the video assistant referee had been used or not used in order to serve the interests of their opponents.
* An offer from US television billionaire Rocco Commisso for a majority stake in Italy's AC Milan would give the soccer club a total value of around 500 million euros, including debt, sources close to the deal said on Thursday. Commisso, owner of North American soccer team New York Cosmos, has bid for 70% of AC Milan. AC Milan's owner, businessman Li Yonghong, bought the so-called Rossoneri from former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi last year in a 740 million euro deal, including 190 million euros in debt. Li has been looking for months for new investors for the loss-making club to share the financial burden.
* Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun has announced his retirement from international football at the age of just 23 citing his mother's health as the main reason. Azmoun was Iran's top scorer in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, with 11 goals in 14 matches, but the player who has been dubbed the 'Iranian Messi' failed to score as Iran were knocked out of the group stage with a win, a defeat and a draw in their three Group B games, scoring just two goals (an own goal and a penalty) in the process.
