Premiership rugby club Leicester Tigers has put itself up for sale and is seeking a price of about £60m, BBC Sport understands.

The move follows private equity firm CVC's investment in the sport in December which the club says has led to several approaches from new investors.

CVC's acquisition of a 27% stake in Premiership Rugby resulted in each club receiving £13m.

In Leicester's case that meant it now has no net debt.

Each club retains a 7.7% stake, and with CVC spearheading new marketing initiatives for the Premiership, the clubs anticipate additional revenues flowing to them.

"CVC's investment in Premiership rugby has created a unique opportunity - catapulting the sport into the public consciousness like never before and broadening its appeal to potential investors," said Leicester executive chairman Peter Tom.

"It is our duty as a board to explore the club's strategic options and assess the best possible ownership structure to benefit from the changes ahead on and off the pitch."

Leicester is the most successful club of the professional era, winning the Premiership 10 times and the European Cup twice.

The club's games attract the highest TV audiences and it is also the most-attended club, with a 90% season ticket renewal rate.

However, it has not won the league title since 2013 and flirted with relegation last season, finishing second from bottom.

BEAVER DAM, Wis. – Sammy Swindell is searching for his next opportunity after Thone Motorsports has parked its operation.

“On Sunday I got a text from Brandon (Thone),” he said. “Their business has been growing and some circumstances led to us not being able to race anymore. Sometimes there are things you can’t control. I want to thank him and Ashley for the time we did have.

“I still love to drive and would like to compete. I’d love the chance to keep doing that if there is something out there for me.”

Thone Motorsports officials released a statement regarding the news on the team’s Twitter account.

pic.twitter.com/eam2xyDFjV

— Thone Motorsports (@TMotorsports59) June 24, 2019

Swindell had a strong finish to his final night with Thone Motorsports last Saturday during the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial presented by Karavan Trailers at Beaver Dam Raceway.

He qualified 17th quickest and finished seventh in a heat race, after an incident forced him to restart at the back of the field. That relegated Swindell to the Last Chance Showdown.

“I tried something a bit different because I felt like I was going to make it through the B-main fairly easily,” Swindell noted. “I didn’t like that at all, so we went back in a direction that worked for us.”

Swindell capped the night by hustling from 20th to a 10th-place finish, earning the KSE Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.

“It wasn’t a track that had a lot of room for passing,” he said. “I found a little place where there was some rubber off turn two. I got next to (Donny) Schatz, but didn’t quite clear him. Then he knew where it was. We had a tire with a hole in it so it was going down. I got tight on the cushion and lost a spot toward the end. But I had the third fastest lap of the race so I felt pretty good about that. Track position would have made a big difference. If we started up there we would have finished up there.

“Everybody was pretty happy with the way it turned out. I wasn’t expecting to get that much, but you never know. There were some circumstances where I got by somebody and a caution came out so I didn’t have to go back. It seemed like every time there was a yellow we were gaining ground. It was a good finish.”

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Blackhawks made another trade for a veteran defenseman on Monday, acquiring Calvin de Haan in a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Blackhawks also received minor league forward Aleksi Saarela in exchange for defenseman Gustav Forsling and goaltender Anton Forsberg.

Chicago has been looking to upgrade its blue line since it missed the playoffs last season for the second straight year. It acquired Olli Maatta in a trade with Pittsburgh on June 15.

The addition of de Haan and Maatta raises questions about what the Blackhawks might do with the rest of their defensemen. They also have Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Connor Murphy, Erik Gustafsson, Carl Dahlstrom and Slater Koekkoek on their roster, and Henri Jokiharju could take on a prominent role after finishing last season in the minors.

The Hurricanes' acquisition of Forsberg comes with the two goalies who helped lead them to the Eastern Conference final -- veterans Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney -- eligible for free agency on July 1.

De Haan was selected by the New York Islanders with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 draft. He spent his first six seasons with the team before joining Carolina last summer, signing a four-year contract worth $18.2 million.

The 28-year-old de Haan had one goal and 13 assists in 74 games last season. He also had a goal in 12 playoff appearances.

Forsberg becomes the second Blackhawks goalie traded to Carolina in three years. The Hurricanes picked up Scott Darling in 2017 and gave him a four-year contract that pays him an average of $4.15 million per season. Darling was injured during the preseason finale last season, placed on waivers and played only eight games in the NHL in 2018-19.

Carolina acquired Saarela from New York in the 2017 deal that sent then-captain Eric Staal to the Rangers. He played only one game with the Hurricanes.

Forsling, a fifth-round pick by Vancouver in 2014, had eight goals and 19 assists in 122 games over three seasons with Chicago. He just turned 23 on June 12.

Forsberg was acquired by the Blackhawks in the 2017 trade that sent Artemi Panarin to Columbus. He spent last season with Rockford in the AHL, going 15-15-2 with a 2.64 goals-against average.

Ticket prices for the United States' quarterfinal match against France at the Women's World Cup are skyrocketing, with one seller listing a pair of tickets for more than $11,000 on the secondary market.

The U.S. labored its way into the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win against Spain on Monday to set up a match against hosts France on June 28 in Paris, in what looks to be one of the more sought-after tickets in women's sports in recent years.

The least expensive ticket on the resale site StubHub.com is currently $681, while the most expensive one is listed at $11,398, with a number of tickets on sale in the $2,000-$3,000 range.

In comparison, the quarterfinal match on June 27 featuring Norway and England has tickets as low as $33, with the most expensive ticket costing $170.

- FIFA Women's World Cup: All you need to know
- Full Women's World Cup fixtures schedule

The match featuring the United States and France is set to take place at Parc des Princes in Paris, so it seems natural that tickets would be in demand, but the numbers listed for these tickets are abnormally high even given the location.

In fact, the prices for the quarterfinal with France are astronomically higher than ones for the United States' matches at the 2015 Women's World Cup. The quarterfinal match against China in 2015 had an average resale price of $165 on SeatGeek.com, with the highest prices coming in the final versus Japan at $368.

For further comparison outside of soccer, the most in-demand women's hockey ticket on SeatGeek.com was the 2013 matchup of the United States and Canada, which had an average resale price of $114. The 2015 US Open women's final in tennis between Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci saw tickets priced at an average of $438 each.

While it was not an international event, SeatGeek.com had an average resale price of $280 for the women's 2014 NCAA national championship basketball game between Connecticut and Notre Dame.

The combination of the hosts playing in Paris against the pre-tournament favorite U.S., which has had strong traveling support in France this summer, seems to have created the perfect storm for ticket prices.

The popularity of this World Cup could also be a big factor.

On June 22, after 36 matches had been played over 14 consecutive days, FIFA released some of its digital numbers from the tournament's group stage.

The tournament saw 433 million views on the official FIFA Women's World Cup digital channels, gained 1.25 million new social media followers focused on women's soccer and had 6 million likes on Facebook.

In terms of ticket sales through FIFA itself, 1,094,639 tickets had been allocated as of June 20, with 70 percent stadium occupancy and 11 sold-out matches, according to world soccer's governing body.

President Donald Trump said he does not think it's appropriate for a co-captain of the U.S. women's soccer team to protest during the national anthem.

Megan Rapinoe has described herself as a "walking protest" to Trump's policies.

Trump told The Hill in an interview Monday that he disagrees with her actions, but loves watching women's soccer and thinks the players are "really talented."

After Rapinoe started kneeling during the anthem, the United States Soccer Federation adopted a policy that requires players to stand during the anthem. Now she stands, but she has been criticized for not singing and putting her hand over her heart like other players.

Trump also said economics should be considered in deciding whether women's national team players should receive pay as the men.

"I think a lot of it also has to do with the economics," Trump said. "I mean who draws more, where is the money coming in. I know that when you have the great stars like [Portugal's Cristiano] Ronaldo and some of these stars ... that get paid a lot of money, but they draw hundreds of thousands of people.

"But I haven't taken a position on that at all," he added. "I'd have to look at it."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Australia women coach Matthew Mott has admitted that the way the team faded at the end of the 2017-18 Ashes has provided motivation to retain the prize with outright victory in this year's multi-point series.

Australia kept hold of the Ashes when it was played on home soil - having regained them in 2015 - but England won the final two T20Is to level the contest at eight points each. Australia were bowled out for 112 in Canberra, before Danni Wyatt's century cancelled out Beth Mooney's unbeaten 117 in the final game.

Mott said that slip had been used as a drive to bring a greater ruthlessness to Australia's cricket and the results since have been evidence of that, with just two defeats in all internationals since the end of the previous Ashes.

"It's been a huge factor. Everyone in that team felt a bit of a bitter taste at the end of that series. We'd done the hard work and just took the foot off the throat," Mott said. "We talk a lot about finishing teams off and it's really been a motivating factor for the last 12 months and how we've played the game.

"In all the series we've played since the intensity on the last day has been as good as the first. It's been a huge factor and in our minds one of the themes is a bit of unfinished business. We are obviously happy to hold the Ashes but we want to come over here and win them this time."

Mott knows his team will face a confident England side that is currently on a run of 14 unbeaten matches having made convincing work of defeating West Indies over the last few weeks. "It's two great teams going head-to-head, they'll be chock full of confidence and we've had a really good 12 months. Two of the best teams in the world going head-to-head, it's a special summer, I think everyone has earmarked this for a while and we just hope to start well."

The Ashes begins with the three-match ODI series - where two points are on offer for a victory - before the Test in Taunton, where victory carries four points, followed by the three T20Is. Australia could look to supplement their squad ahead of the Test with a player from the Australia A team which is playing concurrently in the UK.

"It's created a really unique opportunity for us to play alongside each other and give our players the opportunity to get some game time," Mott said. "We are going to work together to make sure we maximise game time for everyone, rather than sitting and watch if they can get some games in, then great. Also there's an added incentive for the A-team players, they know we've got the opportunity to add an extra player around the Test match so that 15th player, if they are knocking the door down in the A team, they have the chance to come in."

Australia begin the tour with two warm-up matches against the England academy team in Loughborough ahead of the opening ODI in Leicester on July 2.

Ashes squad Nicole Bolton, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck

Australia A squad Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Maddy Darke, Josie Dooley, Heather Graham, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa, Amanda-Jade Wellington

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Lakers governor and controlling owner Jeanie Buss said she was stunned by Magic Johnson's shocking resignation but that she has full confidence in Rob Pelinka directing Los Angeles' basketball operations.

Speaking Monday for the first time since Johnson shocked the Lakers and then later accused Pelinka of backstabbing him, Buss said the Lakers "are in a really good place" and are "on the right path."

"There really wasn't anything to say," Buss said at the NBA Awards show of why she has remained quiet until now. "I think that when Magic decided that he didn't want to be with the organization any longer in an official capacity, that took me off guard. So I needed time to figure out what the process was going to be. That's all. Just taking care of business and looking out after the organization."

"It was a surprise when Magic turned in his resignation," Buss later added when asked about the perception that the Lakers have been surrounded by turmoil for most of the offseason. "I didn't see that coming. But everything else has been pretty much as any organization moves forward and changes going into a new season. So as much as has been speculated as to what the Lakers are doing, to me, we are in a really good place and we are following our path, and our plan, going into the next season."

Buss has moved forward with Pelinka, the team's general manager, running the basketball operations. She reiterated her full confidence in Pelinka, who orchestrated a trade in agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans for All-Star center Anthony Davis in exchange for the fourth overall pick in last week's NBA draft, along with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart. Buss and the Lakers cannot comment on the trade until it becomes official, perhaps as early as July 6.

"I've always had confidence in Rob," Buss said. "Whatever the speculation that's out there, we don't need the outside media to validate the things that we do. I'm very happy, I think we are on the right path, but there's still more work to do."

"There's a lot of changes, Lakers fans, be patient," Buss later added. "We're going to get there. We will not finish until we are all proud."

Buss has leaned on Pelinka, Linda Rambis and Kurt Rambis on basketball decisions since Johnson left. Linda Rambis, executive director of special projects, has been one of Buss' closest confidants and most trusted advisors for the past four decades. Kurt Rambis is a senior basketball adviser who has worked closely with Pelinka.

Buss added some clarity on Linda and Kurt Rambis' roles in the organization's decision-making.

"That's what's so interesting, because they've been part of the Lakers, surrounding me," Buss said. "Linda Rambis and I have worked the exact same way for the last 30 years. Nothing's changed, but for whatever reason, it's things that people want to hear about. And they're part of our team, and they do a fantastic job."

Buss, who was at the NBA Awards to support both Johnson's receiving a lifetime achievement award and former Laker Shaquille O'Neal as the show's host, was asked about Johnson's recent appearance on ESPN's First Take when he spoke about Pelinka betraying him.

"I can't really anticipate what he thinks," said Buss, who made it clear that her relationship with Johnson remains close. "He has to answer those questions. He's always full of surprises. Like as surprising as it was, it kind of reminded me of back in 1981 when he asked to be traded after winning a championship with the Lakers because he wasn't happy with the way the offense had changed. And that led us to getting Pat Riley as our head coach.

"So he's got good instincts," she continued. "He's got to stay true to who he is and do what is right for him. I wish I would've had a little bit more notice, but I think we are going to be just fine."

Johnson also said on First Take that he would be interested in buying the Lakers should Buss ever decide to sell.

"I've had probably 20 to 30 people actually call and want to buy the team in the last five years," Buss said. "There's probably, oh, a billion people who would like to own the Lakers, too. That's nothing new. It was no surprise. Who wouldn't want to own the Lakers?"

The Lakers still have more moves to make in free agency as Pelinka pursues more help for LeBron James. Buss says that the expectation entering next season is clear for the Lakers.

"Dr. Buss set the bar high for the Lakers," Buss said of her father. "There's the gold standard, and then there's the purple-and-gold standard. Certainly, we are going to do everything we can to get the best players possible and to get the Lakers back to consistently be at that level. But we got a ways to go, and I think we are [heading] in the right direction, but at the end of the day, we will be judged by our wins and losses.

"The goal has always been to get back into the playoffs."

Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the second Milwaukee Bucks player to win the Most Valuable Player award. The award was announced on Monday at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

At just 24 years old, Antetokounmpo became the third-youngest player to win MVP over the past 40 seasons, behind Derrick Rose and LeBron James. The native of Athens, Greece, is the fifth player born outside of the United States to win the award.

Antetokounmpo received 78 of the 101 possible first-place votes. Houston's James Harden came in second with the other 23 first-place votes. Every voter had either Antetokounmpo or Harden No. 1 or No. 2 on their ballot.

Oklahoma City's Paul George came in third, followed by Denver's Nikola Jokic and Golden State's Stephen Curry.

"MVP is not about stats and numbers. It is all about winning and all about making sure you go out there and do everything you can to win," Antetokounmpo said Monday night. "I think that is what we did as a team."

Antetokounmpo said his father's death and a challenge by Kobe Bryant on Twitter to win MVP fueled his motivation.

"Definitely Kobe, he is the one that started that flame," Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game this season. He was voted a 2019 All-Star team captain alongside James. He became the first player to average 25 points and 10 rebounds per game on a team with the league's best record since Shaquille O'Neal did it as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999-2000.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001. They were eventually eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals by the Toronto Raptors.

The "Greek Freak" averaged 25.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game during the postseason.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.