Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been freed on bail ahead of his trial on rape charges, it was reported today.

Mendy, 27, accused of a series of serious sex offences against young women, was freed after a bail hearing at Chester Crown Court.

The French international has been in custody for 134 days, since first being arrested and charged on August 26 last year.

The footballer, held at HMP Altcourse, Liverpool before recently being transferred to HMP Manchester, was granted bail by Judge Patrick Thompson at a private hearing from which the press was excluded, while bail was discussed.

The defendant had been due to go on trial this month, but the trial has been put back to June 27 at the earliest.

Judge Thompson granted Mendy bail until January 24, the date of his next court hearing.

The full bail conditions were not given in open court, but Mendy was told he must live at his home address, not to contact complainants and surrender his passport by midnight on Friday.

Mendy has played for Manchester City since 2017, when he joined from Monaco.

He was suspended by the club after being charged by police, pending an investigation.