Manager Rafael Benitez said Thursday he is "100 percent" confident skipper Sergio Ramos will stay at Real Madrid amid fevered speculation linking him with Manchester United.

Spain international Ramos has been linked to United in a swap deal with Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea, but Benitez made it clear the defender was going nowhere.

Interest in the Tour de France is growing worldwide despite cycling's battle with doping, but the host nation is bucking trend, according to a study released Wednesday.

France is a rare country where interest in the Tour has fallen over the past three years, according to the Repucom sports data company.

Luis Suarez and Sergi Roberto scored as European Champions Barcelona launched their pre-season North American tour with a convincing 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday.

Uruguay international Suarez came out on top in a clash with former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard -- the Galaxy's latest acquisition from Europe.

Louis van Gaal criticized new signing Bastian Schweinsteiger and his Manchester United team mates after the Premier League giants eased to a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.

United recorded a second straight victory on their U.S. tour and never really looked troubled against their mid-table opponents from Major League Soccer.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini says record signing Raheem Sterling will benefit from playing with the technical players in Manchester City's squad this English Premier League season.

Sterling gave a glimpse of what he can bring to the 2014 EPL champions with his searing pace and link play with Spanish star David Silva in the penalty shootout win over Italy's AS Roma in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Formula One turned out in force on Tuesday to pay its last respects to Jules Bianchi at the 25-year-old French driver's funeral in his hometown of Nice.

World champion Lewis Hamilton and many of Bianchi's pitlane colleagues joined family and friends of the talented young Marussia driver who died on Friday, nine months after his devastating accident at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Tottenham's Benjamin Stambouli has joined French champions Paris Saint Germain in a five-year deal worth between eight and nine million euros ($8.7-$9.7 million).

The 24-year-old is returning to Ligue 1 where he had a spell with Montpellier before his one season with Spurs.

Manager Brendan Rodgers says it has been a humbling experience for Liverpool to play before packed grounds on their pre-season tour and wants the team to make a quick return to Australia.

The Reds closed out their Australian tour with a 2-0 win over Adelaide United before 53,000 fans at Adelaide Oval on Monday evening. It followed a 50,000 crowd watching them beat Brisbane Roar 2-1 in Brisbane last week.

Tour de France leader Chris Froome branded the constant speculation surrounding him as "strange" after once again facing a barrage of doping questions.

Froome finished 28th on Monday's 16th stage from Bourg-de-Peage to Gap, more than 18 minutes behind winner Ruben Plaza, but still had to answer doping-related questions in the yellow jersey press conference.

The number 17 car driven by Jules Bianchi was retired from future Formula One championships on Monday out of respect to the late Marussia driver.

Bianchi died on Friday, nine months after his devastating accident at last season's Japanese Grand Prix.