Ched Evans will reportedly be handed a two-and-a-half year contract with League One football team Oldham Athletic tomorrow, despite 62,000 people signing a petition against the move.
The footballer, who went to prison after being found guilty of raping a 19-year-old and was released in October, could earn up to £2,500-a-week in the deal according to an exclusive report in the Daily Mail.
After prolonged negotiations amid mounting controversy over the convicted rapist striker, the club is finally expected to announce it will give him a deal tomorrow "barring any last-minute issues."
Ched Evans and girlfriend Natasha Massey who has stood by him
Oldham had been expected to announce it would sign the striker on Monday but the prospect triggered a change.org petition that became one of the fastest growing in the site's history, attracting a signature every second at one point.
This prompted widespread reports that the club was having second thoughts.
It rigidly refused to contribute to speculation about Evans' future throughout Monday and Tuesday, as the debate about the ethics of signing a convicted rapist played out on social media and in the press.
Evans, who previously played for Manchester City, was jailed in April 2012 for raping a woman in a hotel room in Rhyl, north Wales.
The player denied the offence, saying the sex was consensual, but he was found guilty by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court.
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