D.C. United signs Rooney from Everton for reported $17M fee

Everton announced Thursday that Wayne Rooney has joined Major League Soccer side D.C. United in a transfer reportedly worth $17 million (£13 million).

D.C. United confirmed that Rooney is expected to make his debut during the inaugural match at Audi Field on July 14 against the Vancouver Whitecaps. He will become a Designated Player on the team's roster after July 10 when the MLS international transfer window opens.

It's understood that Rooney arrived in the U.S. capital on Thursday to finalise a contract worth $13 million, according to Agence France-Presse.

And after putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half-year contract, Rooney expressed his eagerness to embark on a new journey and to link up with his new teammates.

"It is fantastic to be joining D.C. United at such an exciting time in the club’s history with the new stadium opening in just a few weeks," he said.

"Moving to America and MLS fulfills another career ambition for me. I have the hunger to be a success here and will give D.C. 100 percent - as I have always done for every team I have ever played for."

Rooney moves to MLS after scoring 11 goals in 40 appearances during his second spell with Everton. Before reuniting with his boyhood club last summer, he enjoyed an illustrious career at Manchester United where he became the team's all-time leading scorer with 253 goals in 559 matches.

Rooney also ended his international career in 2017 as England's all-time leading scorer with 53 tallies in 119 appearances.

D.C. United sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with the worst record in MLS after collecting just 10 points in 12 matches. However, the four-time MLS Champion has played the fewest games compared to any other team due to spending the majority of the season away from home while it waits for Audi Field to open.