Ched Evans set to pocket £1m signing for Sheffield United after having rape conviction overturned
Striker will bag a six-figure signing on fee and £10,000 weekly wage during the duration of the contract
CHED Evans is set to pocket £1million when he signs for former club Sheffield United, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
The striker will bag a six-figure signing on fee and a £10,000 weekly wage during the duration of the contract.
He will also receive a £10,000 bonus if he scores ten goals or more during the season.
And he will be paid a £750 appearance fee every game he plays – making the package on the table worth at least £1 million.
Ched, 28, is being lined up for a move back to the Blades five years after they ended his contract following his 2012 rape conviction.
He was convicted of raping a teenage girl in a hotel room following a night out in Rhyl, North Wales.
Ched – who always protested his innocence – spent two-and-a-half years in jail before being granted a retrial following a Court of Appeal hearing.
His conviction was finally overturned in April last year when a jury found him not guilty.
Two months later he signed for Chesterfield FC and is now poised to move back to Bramall Lane in a £500,000 deal, expected to be completed next week.
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United co-chairman Kevin McCabe – who stood by Ched throughout his ordeal – has said: “It’ll be great to have him back.”
A source said: “Some people will still no doubt begrudge Ched getting on with his life, but he’s cleared his name and is determined to make the most of his ability.
“Football is a short career and he has lost a chunk of his best years while he was in jail and then unable to find a team until he cleared his name last year.
“He was on a lot more at Sheff Utd when he played for them prior to his conviction, but he’s moving in the right direction.
“It’s a dream move for him because the club always supported him privately and he has a real affinity with the board and the fans and wants to pay them back.
“Now all he’s doing is dreaming about is pulling on that red and white shirt again and scoring his first goal.”
The Sun revealed Sheff Utd wanted to re-sign Ched after he walked free from prison in 2014.
The club later offered him the chance to train with his old teammates, but a public outcry forced them to withdraw it.
More than 165,000 people signed a petition against the move while club patron and Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill said she would ask for her name to be taken off a stand if the striker re-signed.
Former Wales international Ched played for Sheff Utd between 2009 and 2012, scoring 42 times in 103 league appearances.
He is engaged to Natasha Massey, 28, and the couple have a young child.
The woman who Ched was accused of attacking is now re-building her life and has considered moving to Australia.
Her family did not respond to request for comment.