Key sponsors say they will leave but the club will sign him anyway

Evans, 26, will earn up to £2,500-a-week in two-and-a-half year deal

Convicted rapist Ched Evans is on the brink of returning to professional football today as MailOnline can exclusively reveal his move to Oldham Athletic will be announced on Thursday.

Barring any last minute issues, the former Sheffield United striker will join the League One club on a two-and-a-half year deal, likely to be worth between £1,500 and £2,500-a-week.

Oldham Athletic owner Simon Corney has today defended the decision, saying he believes the convicted rapist has 'served his time' and that people need to 'keep their views in check'.

Fresh start: Ched Evans, pictured walking his dogs today with his partner Natasha, will sign for Oldham Athletic tomorrow, MailOnline can reveal

'We believe he (Evans) has served his time. There is an 80 per cent chance of us signing him,' Oldham chairman Corney told The Jewish Chronicle.

'It won't be done today. It's not straightforward and there are some legal issues.

'There might be a cost implication, but you have to stick to your principles. We weren't surprised by the backlash.'

The Oldham owner also claimed that three Premier League bosses had contacted him to offer their support, while he also admitted he understood that a significant portion of the club's fans held concerns over the move.

He added: 'I completely understand people's views and I respect them. I would never tell people they are wrong to have their own views. But we want people to keep them in check.

'I hope people don't get too carried way and it doesn't get too hot.'

Deal: After several clubs turned down the chance to sign Evans because public anger, he is set to return to professional football with Oldham

Boycott: Verlin, who sponsor this stand at Boundary Park, say will now end their deal with the club told them about the 'imminent' signing of Evans

The decision has led to a slew of sponsors ending their deals with the club today, including ZenOffice and Verlin, who have their names on two stands at the club's Boundary Park ground.

They say the club has informed them that the 26-year-old, jailed for rape in 2012, will sign 'imminently'.

Signing Evans will cause great anger with 60,000 signing a petition opposing the deal and MPs and police saying it would 'send the wrong message' because of his lack of remorse.

Craig Verling, a director of Verlin Rainwater Solutions which sponsors a stand at Boundary Park, said in a statement: 'After receiving the news regarding the imminent signing of Ched Evans it is with great regret that Verlin Rainwater Solutions will no longer be associated with Oldham Athletic'.

And ending its five-year association with the club a ZenOffice spokesman said: 'ZenOffice do not agree that the current path OAFC are embarking on espouses these values'.

When he signs the 26-year-old will earn a salary comparable with other Latics players as club officials at Boundary Park want to make the deal 'as normal as possible' - although his salary is much less than the £20,000-a-week he earned at Sheffield United.

Contrary to reports, the father of Evans' fiancée, despite being heavily involved in the deal, will not subsidise the player's wages or cover any potential loss in sponsorship.

Manager Lee Johnson also made known his concerns but the club look set to ignore those threats.

Former club Sheffield United - for whom Evans scored 35 goals in 42 appearances in his final season at Bramall Lane - offered the striker a chance to train with them last November.

Outrage: An online petition with 60,000 signatures has urged Oldham to not sign Evans (left) - and club manager Lee Johnson (right) is understood to have expressed grave reservations about signing him

Backlash: The online petition opposing the Oldham deal has now hit almost 62,000 people

But his proposed return was ended after a similar backlash where more than 157,000 people have also signed a petition demanding they refuse to sign Evans.

Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill wanted her name taken off a stand, sponsors pledged to walk-out and fans said they would not attend matches until it was confirmed he would not sign for the club.

MIKE ASHLEY UNDER PRESSURE TO DROP SPONSORSHIP OF OLDHAM Northumbria police and crime commissioner Vera Baird has called on Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley (below) to drop Sports Direct's sponsorship of Oldham Athletic if they sign Evans. The former Labour minister said the retail giant's backing was worth £1 million to the club. She wrote to Mr Ashley: 'He (Evans) should not be taken on as a footballer with the high profile heroism that young people attach to such figures. 'It is tantamount to saying that sexual abuse is OK as long as you can play football. If Oldham Athletic decide to appoint him, I would urge you to withdraw Sports Direct sponsorship at the club.' She said Oldham was her home town, and she regularly watched the team when she was younger. Advertisement

Broadcaster Charlie Webster stood down from her role as a club patron of Sheffield United in the wake of their links to Evans. Since then, he has also been rejected by Hartlepool and Tranmere.

But Oldham are pressing ahead to sign the disgraced Welsh international despite calls from major political figures, senior police officers and more than 60,000 people who have signed a petition.

On Monday night, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley held the key to Evans' future.

Oldham stalled on the former Sheffield United forward on Monday, stating that they would 'continue to have conversations with representative bodies such as the PFA' before making a decision.

But two club sponsors threatened to withdraw their backing if Oldham sign Evans – who was due to report for training on Monday but in the end did not show – and Ashley came under pressure to withdraw Sports Direct's sponsorship as well.

On Tuesday, pressure on Oldham even came from prime minister David Cameron, whose official Westminster spokesman outlined his position on an issue that has divided football.

'His view hasn't changed (from) ... the time when there were reports around Sheffield United,' said the spokesman.

'Ultimately, it is for employers to take decisions, but the Prime Minister does think that footballers are role models and he is sure that any potential would-be clubs and employers will weigh their decisions very carefully.'

On Monday shadow sports minister Clive Efford called on the Football Association to withdraw the player's registration should Oldham try to recruit him.

Evans was released from prison last October half way through a five-year sentence for raping a 19-year-old woman.

The Welsh striker denied rape, saying the sex was consensual, but he was found guilty in a unanimous verdict by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court.

The prosecution said the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.

Despite the conviction his victim has been persistently hounded by trolls, who have named her online and forced her to take on several new identities.

Oldham offered Lee Hughes a way back into football in 2007 after he had served three years in prison and look set to do the same for Evans, right

Anger: Protesters used the Oldham Athletic Facebook page to declare their anger at the proposed deal

Evans has successfully applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to have his 2012 conviction re-examined ahead of a possible second appeal.

It is understood that the 25-year-old former Wales striker, who earned £20,000 a week at Bramall Lane before his conviction in April 2012, will not be paid by Sheffield United.

Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald also admitted having sex with the victim but was found not guilty of the same charge.

Direct action: TV star Charlie Webster resigned as a patron of her beloved Sheffield United amid fears he was going to sign there after his release from jail

An appeal against Evans's conviction was rejected by three judges at the Court of Appeal in 2012. His case is due to be looked at by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

After his release, Evans released a video on his website protesting his innocence and vowing to clear his name.

Senior officials at Oldham are understood to believe Evans's side of the story. They spoke to the player in late November but decided against making a move amid fears it would further tarnish the club's image following the signing of Lee Hughes in 2007.

Hughes had served half of a six-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving. Director Barry Owen, a former police officer instrumental in bringing Hughes to Oldham, is understood to have been heavily involved in the move for Evans.

MailOnline understands Oldham manager Lee Johnson has made known his concerns about going through with the controversial deal.

There were suggestions that he would also have been unwelcome within the dressing room with one senior player saying: 'What, you're joking?' after being told Evans was about to sign.

Even Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner, Tony Lloyd, has called on the club not to sign Evans because of his 'lack of remorse'.

The former Labour MP said: 'Ched Evans is a convicted rapist and, whilst I strongly believe in the principle of rehabilitation, it will send out entirely the wrong message if they offer him a contract.

'All offenders have the right to rebuild their lives and make amends after they have served their sentence.

'But Ched Evans's lack of remorse and failure to acknowledge his offence means it is simply inappropriate for him to be on a Greater Manchester football pitch week in and week out presenting himself as some kind of role model, especially to young people.'