Ched Evans has agreed to a payout worth nearly £800,000 after suing the lawyers who defended him in his first rape trial.

The Welsh footballer was convicted of raping a 19-year-old woman at a Premier Inn near Rhyl, North Wales, in 2011, serving two and a half years behind bars.

However, his conviction was quashed in 2016 and he was found not guilty at a re-trial.

The 30-year-old had planned to take court action against the law firm Brabners, who mounted the unsuccessful defence at the Caernarfon Crown Court trial in 2012.

It is understood the striker has now agreed to settle the matter out of court and will receive a payment in the region of £800,000.

A spokesman for Brabners said: “We are glad that Ched Evans has agreed not to pursue this case, which we believe was entirely without merit. Brabners put forward a strong defence of Mr Evans claim following a thorough process and we were prepared to vigorously defend our handling of the case.”

Evans is currently attempting to rekindle his career on the pitch in League One, where he is on loan at Fleetwood Town from Sheffield United.

He had been a rising star at the Yorkshire club when the allegations were first made, leading to his arrest on the grounds the woman with whom he had sex was too drunk to consent.