The New England Patriots are signing former Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal, including $25 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Henry, who turned 27 in December, clicked with rookie quarterback Justin Herbert and had a career-best 60 receptions for 613 yards and four touchdowns for the Chargers last season.

He now joins a Patriots team that is undergoing a pass-catching overhaul. On Monday the team gave out a total of nearly $100 million worth of contracts to tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne.

Henry (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) played last season on the franchise tender, making $10.6 million.

He has yet to play a full season in his NFL career and missed the final two games last season after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He missed the entire 2018 regular season after tearing his ACL and four games in 2019 after suffering a tibial plateau fracture in an opening-week victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Drafted by the Chargers in the second round of the 2016 draft, Henry has 196 receptions for 2,322 yards and 21 touchdowns in five NFL seasons.

ESPN's Shelley Smith contributed to this report.

University of Birmingham could see athletes like Mo Farah racing for Olympic selection on June 5 following cancellation of Highgate event

After the cancellation of the Night of the 10,000m PBs at Highgate in north London this year, the British Olympic trials and European 10,000m Cup will now be held at the University of Birmingham track on the same date of June 5.

However, despite coronavirus restrictions gradually lifting, entries will be invitation only and there are unlikely to be spectators.

Key contenders are likely to include US-based Brits Marc Scott and Sam Atkin, while among the women Steph Twell is missing the marathon trials this month to focus on 10,000m.

Another intriguing possible entrant would be Mo Farah, too, as the 10-time global track champion wants to run this distance in Tokyo but needs to post a qualifying time as he has not raced 10,000m since winning the world title in London in 2017.

“We are delighted to have reached an agreement with the University of Birmingham to bring the Müller British Athletics 10,000m Championships and the European 10,000m Cup to Birmingham,” said Katie Brazier, competitions and events director at British Athletics.

“Following consultation with athletes and coaches, as well as other key stakeholders, it is fantastic news that we can host a Covid-19 secure environment for this summer’s event. So, our thanks to the University of Birmingham for their cooperation during conversations over the last few weeks.”

European Athletics interim president Dobromir Karamarinov said: “We are pleased we have been able to work with British Athletics to find an alternative venue for the 2021 European 10,000m Cup and we want to thank the University of Birmingham for stepping forward at this late stage.

“The European 10,000m Cup is one of the most prestigious and long-running fixtures on the European calendar. This year’s event will have an even greater significance as it also serves as an excellent opportunity for athletes aiming to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics later this summer.”

A "landmark" global women's rugby union competition has been launched by the sport's international governing body.

The competition will have three tiers, offering consistent international Test-match opportunities to 16 teams to help them prepare for the 2025 World Cup.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont hailed a "landmark moment" and said the plan would "accelerate the development of the women's game".

The announcement comes a week after the 2021 World Cup - for which three teams are yet to qualify because of postponements caused by the coronavirus pandemic - was pushed back to 2022.

World Rugby is yet to confirm new dates for the tournament but chief executive Alan Gilpin said it was expected to be played in October-November 2022.

The WXV competition will be played in a global window from September to October, except in World Cup years.

World Rugby says the aim of the tournament is to help teams prepare for a 2025 World Cup that will feature 16 teams - an expansion on the usual 12.

Domestic women's leagues, such as England's Premier 15s, will have to start later to accommodate the new format.

How will WXV work?

Regional competitions, like the Women's Six Nations, must be completed by June each year and will determine qualification for WXV.

A competition featuring Australia, Canada, New Zealand and USA will also be established as a qualification route for the top tier of WXV.

WXV 1, the top tier, will involve six teams in two pools playing three matches against teams in the other pool at a standalone tournament in a location that may change yearly. Final placings will be determined by a points table.

The top three teams for the Women's Six Nations, plus three of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States will qualify. There will be no promotion or relegation in the first cycle of WXV 1.

The second tier, WXV 2, will be played in the same format and will involve two teams from Europe, one of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States and one other team from Oceania, as well as one each from Asia and Africa.

The regional position of the team who finish sixth will be relegated to WXV 3, while the regional position of the team who finish top in the third tier will be promoted.

For example, if Italy were to finish sixth in WXV 2, one of the European positions in the second tier would be moved down to WXV 3 and whichever team qualified for that European position the following year would play in WXV 3.

WXV 3 will consist of two teams from Europe, one from Asia and the winner of an Africa v South America play-off playing in a round-robin format.

The fourth-placed team will then face the next best ranked team in the world rankings to retain their place in the competition.

World Rugby is also launching a Women in Rugby commercial programme to "further profile, engagement and sustainable growth".

Hopes WXV will be free to watch

Gilpin said there were "no guarantees" the tournament would take off commercially, but added that World Rugby is in "advanced discussions" with potential future partners for the competition.

The governing body's chief executive wants coverage of WXV to be "free to consumer" to "bring more women and girls into rugby".

Gilpin hoped this would be achieved by partnering with free-to-air broadcasters and streaming some games on World Rugby channels.

"There is huge interest and appetite in partnering with the women's game," he continued.

'Ongoing conversations' about changes to men's game

Discussions to create a more harmonised men's global calendar continued in 2020 but are yet to bear fruit.

Gilpin hailed WXV as a way to "create more meaning throughout the year" with regional competitions taking on more significance as qualification pathways for the international tournament.

"We've talked a lot in recent years about trying to get to a similar point in the men's game," he continued.

"There have been some great discussions over the course of the last 9-12 months on the men's XV calendar in that regard and we are just back into those discussions now.

"I wouldn't necessarily say it is a model that is going to be followed in terms of the way the results of one competition might feed through, but bringing more meaning to other parts of the men's XVs calendar and using results for the other competitions that exist is definitely a conversation that's ongoing."

Ireland and Munster back row CJ Stander has announced that he will retire from rugby at the end of this season.

"I hereby publicly announce my retirement from all forms of rugby," said Stander in a lengthy statement.

The forward, whose Munster and Ireland contracts end in June, plans to return home to his native South Africa.

"All professional sportspeople are told: 'You will know when the time is right to hang up your boots'. It's a sentiment one cannot fully comprehend until that day arrives. For me, that time has come," added Stander, who won his 50th Ireland cap in the win over Scotland on Sunday.

"I will be available to represent Munster until 27 June 2021 when my contract expires, and for international duty, until the end of the mid-year Test window."

Decision taken during 'lockdown stocktake'

Stander said he had done a "stocktake of what matters most to me in life" during lockdown.

"My faith, family and this incredible game I have played since I was six years old easily topped the list.

"However, I came to the realisation that my commitment to rugby has started to take an unfair toll on my family, who both in Limerick and South Africa have made considerable sacrifices for more than 25 years to allow me to live my dream.

"I am not saddened by my decision. I've had a full and utterly enjoyable rugby career, and I can now look back on a journey that offered me rewards, memories and surprises beyond anything I could have scripted for myself. I wouldn't change a thing."

Stander described the 150 games he has played for Munster as "some of the most precious and formative experiences of my life".

"My blood will remain Munster red long after I have said my goodbyes to the people of Limerick."

'I never considered myself a foreigner'

Referring to his Ireland career, Stander said that he has "never considered myself a foreigner in an Irish jumper".

"In 2012, arriving as a 22-year-old who only had two kitbags flung over his shoulders and a limited command of English, I had to commit myself to a new family who immediately adopted me as one of their own."

The back row admitted that a "freezing training session" near the end of last year told him he "had entered the final stretch of my career".

"I asked myself whether I was still enjoying this enough to earn the continued support of Munster and Ireland and to justify the sacrifices my family was making.

"From a performance perspective, the answer was yes. But I always had the intent to retire while I was still playing some of my best rugby. I also knew I wanted my daughter Everli to grow up around her family in South Africa."

Stander said that both Munster coach Johann van Graan and the IRFU had attempted to convince him to change his mind "but I knew it was time".

Paying tribute to Van Graan and his Ireland coaches Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell as well as team-mates, Stander's statement included a "special word" of thanks to late Munster coach Anthony Foley who died suddenly in October 2016 on a day when the Irish province were scheduled to face Racing 92 in the European Champions Cup.

"Your impact on my personal and professional life remains as tangible today as it was when you were still with us," Stander said of Foley.

MOSCOW -- A 19-year-old Russian hockey player has died after being hit in the head by the puck during a game, his club and the league said Tuesday.

Defenseman Timur Faizutdinov was playing for Dynamo St. Petersburg's junior team in a playoff game against Loko Yaroslavl on Friday when he was struck by a puck hit from the neutral zone.

Faizutdinov collapsed and was treated on the ice by the team doctor and paramedics before being taken to a hospital in the city of Yaroslavl.

The Junior Hockey League said Faizutdinov died Tuesday after "doctors fought for Timur's life over the course of three days."

Dynamo said upcoming games in competitions, including the Kontinental Hockey League, will begin with a minute's silence for Faizutdinov.

Former Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has called for more mental health support for younger football players, who may struggle to cope with the highs and lows of the game.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and member of the League Managers' Association (LMA), including Hughes, have launched a new partnership that aims to encourage conversations about mental health.

- Stream FC Daily on ESPN+

As part of the initiative, members of the LMA will be given a training course on how to improve "suicide awareness."

"It's important young players get the support they need," Hughes said. "A lot of clubs have provision of player welfare and departments that address that. But the resources of all clubs aren't the same.

"There are lot of emotions and disappointments, more disappointments than successes ... and it's about being able to recognise when somebody's struggling with those disappointments."

Hughes' former Wales team mate Gary Speed was found hanged in the garage of his house in Huntington, near Chester in 2011.

Police said at the time that there were no suspicious circumstances and the coroner said there was not enough evidence to say whether it was accidental or intentional.

"I've had teammates that have struggled with mental health and lost their lives to suicide," Hughes said. "We have an opportunity [as managers] to help."

Croatia's Supreme Court on Monday confirmed a prison sentence for Dinamo Zagreb coach Zoran Mamic for fraud ahead of the club's Europa League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, the Balkan nation's state television (HRT) said.

Mamic's brother Zdarvko, Dinamo's former executive director who is at large in neighbouring Bosnia, also had his sentence confirmed by the court as did former tax official Milan Pernar.

- Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

"The Supreme Court has confirmed the Osijek Municipal Court's verdict sentencing Zdravko Mamic to six and a half years of imprisonment for the embezzlement of 116 million kuna ($18.26 million) from Dinamo football club," said the statement published by HRT.

"Zoran Mamic's sentence has been reduced to four years and eight months from four years and 11 months, while Milan Pernar had his sentence reduced to three years and two months from four years and two months."

The three had been charged with tax evasion worth 12.2 million kuna ($1.9 million) and for siphoning off 116 million kuna from transfers of players from Dinamo.

The Croatian champions are at home to Tottenham on Thursday in the return leg of their Europa League round of 16 return leg after the English side won the first leg 2-0 last week.

Manchester United are looking for a scout to help spot future superstars from the age of six.

United are hiring a lead phase scout to target players around Manchester aged between six and eight.

- Stream FC Daily on ESPN+
- Dawson: Man Utd's new director of football about fine tuning

The successful candidate will be expected to "compile and maintain target lists" of youngsters good enough to join United's academy.

Under Premier League rules, clubs can register players from Under-9 level.

"The purpose of the role is to lead the pre-academy recruitment strategy and help coordinate the academy scouting operation and gain market intelligence for Manchester United Football Club in the North West region,"United's job advert read.

"The primary responsibility is to oversee the recruitment strategy within the pre-academy phase, ensuring Manchester United academy have leading market knowledge.

"Also coordinating the casual scouting network to identify, track, recommend and support the recruitment of grassroots players of potential interest to Manchester United Academy in the North West region."

United have had an academy graduate in their matchday squad for more than 4,000 consecutive games.

Midfielder Scott McTominay has been associated with the club since the age of five after joining a development centre in Preston.

Meanwhile, the club have announced Hannibal Mejbri has signed a new long-term contract at Old Trafford.

The 18-year-old moved to United from Monaco in 2019 is part of the U23 side but has already made the step up to first team training with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's seniors.

What's next for Cristiano Ronaldo? It is the question being asked in Italy, Spain, France, England and even the United States as speculation continues to surround the Juventus forward and his club future.

Reports in Italy earlier this month suggested that Juventus, whose finances have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, are prepared to sell the rights to the 36-year-old for as little as £25 million this summer in an effort to get Ronaldo's £28 million annual salary off the wage bill. But those stories are nothing new: The word within the game since the start of the season has been that Ronaldo is available for the right price.

- Juventus chief exec: Ronaldo is "the future" of the club
- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewers guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

Last week's Champions League last-16 exit at the hands of Porto was another big blow to Juve's money-making machine, and having signed Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2018 as the final piece of the club's plans to win that competition, the failure so far to deliver the biggest prize in the game has led to the prospect of him being moved at the end of the season.

Despite his age, Ronaldo continues to score goals at an incredible rate, with his weekend hat-trick against Cagliari taking his season tally to 30 goals in 33 games for Juve. It also took him to 770 career goals -- three clear of Pele's tally of 767. At 36, with huge wages, Ronaldo arguably still offers value because of his goal output, so he will not be short of opportunities this summer. But what are those options likely to be?

ESPN has assessed the possible moves open to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

REAL MADRID

Ronaldo left the Bernabeu in 2018 as Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer, with 450 goals in 438 appearances. When asked last week whether he would be happy to take Ronaldo back to Spain, Real coach Zinedine Zidane replied by saying that the player was "magnificent."

From a football perspective, Real have been unable to replace Ronaldo's goals since he left the club. Eden Hazard has struggled to make any kind of impact, and Zidane's team could certainly benefit from the goals that Ronaldo would deliver, even at 36. But Real are also desperately trying to reduce their wage bill by clearing out high-earning players in their 30s such as Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric. Bale, on loan at Tottenham this season, still has a year to run on his £600,000-a-week contract.

Clearing financial space to make way for Ronaldo would make little sense, but with Lionel Messi seemingly heading for the exit door at Barcelona, there would be an obvious appeal to Real to bring back their former superstar at a time when Barca are losing their best-ever player.

Real could justify the move for both football and commercial reasons. It may not make financial sense, but Real always seem to find the money when they need to, meaning a return to the Bernabeu should not be discounted.

MANCHESTER UNITED

It has been 12 years since Ronaldo left Old Trafford in a then-world-record £80 million transfer to Real Madrid, but United have made numerous attempts to lure him back to the club ever since. Some overtures were more serious than others, particularly in 2013 and 2014, but the stars never quite aligned and his move to Juventus three years ago seemed to draw a line under the prospect of Ronaldo returning to United.

Yet United are a club in need of a centre-forward this summer and, if attempts to sign Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland prove unsuccessful, Ronaldo would be a compelling alternative.

On the pitch, Ronaldo is still making a big contribution at Juventus, so United could expect at least one good season out of their former player and the cost of the deal is relatively inexpensive at £25 million. Ronaldo's wages would be high, but United would exploit his return to the max from a commercial perspective.

With Paul Pogba's future uncertain, United could take Ronaldo as part of any deal for the Frenchman to return to Juventus and ensure they swap one big name for another. Similarly, if Messi ends up at Manchester City, Ronaldo may find it impossible to resist a return to United so he can play out the final chapter of his rivalry with the Argentine in the Premier League.

In short, don't rule it out, especially if United's owners, the Glazer family, regard Ronaldo as having the same profile as Tom Brady, whose move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (also owned by the Glazers) helped them win the Super Bowl.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

Whenever a star player becomes available, PSG are always in the running, and it's no different with Ronaldo, but things in the French capital are fluid at the moment.

If the French champions can retain the services of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the prospect of a move for Ronaldo would be slim. Due to the financial impact of the pandemic, interest in both Neymar and Mbappe has drastically diminished, and there may be no market for either. Barcelona want Neymar and Real want Mbappe, but it's doubtful either club could find the money.

But just as they are in the chase to sign Messi from Barcelona, PSG are also interested in signing Ronaldo. If Neymar and Mbappe are tempted away from Parc des Princes, PSG could even attempt to pair Messi and Ronaldo together in a Parisian dream team. Right now, though, there are too many "what ifs" at PSG for the club to be regarded as a likely option for Ronaldo. They are there, in the background, but much needs to happen for Ronaldo to end up in Paris.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

Sources have told ESPN that a move to the U.S. appeals to Ronaldo, though likely as the final destination in his career. Yet if Ronaldo was to give any indication of being open to a move to MLS this summer, Inter Miami would automatically jump to the front of the line due to the ambition of the team's ownership group, which includes former United and Real star David Beckham.

Phil Neville, the Inter Miami coach, played alongside a young Ronaldo at Old Trafford and, in tandem with Beckham, would have a personal connection with Ronaldo to help swing a deal. LA Galaxy and LAFC would also likely be interested in signing Ronaldo given that they can offer the appeal of the Los Angeles lifestyle, but the majority of MLS teams would have no chance of being able to finance a deal for the 36-year-old.

Location and climate will be key: Ronaldo could never get used to the weather in Manchester, so don't expect him to move to Kansas or Minnesota.

STAY AT JUVENTUS

Ronaldo has a year to run on his Juventus contract, so the reality for all concerned is that he will only move if it suits him. He may not have won the Champions League with Juve, but he's nonetheless won Serie A in each of his two full seasons and scored 95 goals in 122 appearances. His time in Italy has been a success and he does not need to move either for money or a less challenging league.

But if he feels as though he isn't wanted in Turin, then the appeal of a return to Madrid or Manchester, where he would be idolised and well-paid, may persuade him to leave Juventus.

All of the cards are stacked in Ronaldo's favour right now. Real and United would both find a way to sign Ronaldo if he made it clear that he was open to return to either club, while staying at Juventus would enable him to leave as a free agent in 2022.

If he does that, at the age of 37, a move to MLS would be a genuine possibility, but if he's to leave Juventus, the Italian champions will first have to sell the idea to Ronaldo himself.

VERDICT

Fabio Paratici, Juventus' chief football officer, said last week that there are no plans to extend Ronaldo's contract in Turin, although he stopped short of saying that the Portuguese forward could leave. Sources have told ESPN, however, that Juve would welcome a sale in order to be able to rebuild and allocate the Ronaldo salary elsewhere, so potential suitors will not be discouraged.

Right now, Real and United are the most likely destinations, but Ronaldo is not the priority for either club. It is a deal, though, that could be done once there's a clear indication he is prepared to move.

As it stands, PSG have too many other issues to address, while it feels 12 months too soon for a move to MLS. So unless United or Real break cover and make a firm move this summer, another year at Juventus is the likeliest outcome.

Don't rule out United or Real. In terms of a short-term fix and a commercial project, re-signing Ronaldo would work for both clubs.