London (AFP) – Premier League powerhouses Chelsea have re-signed Brazil defender David Luiz from French champions Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year deal, the English club announced on Wednesday.

Luiz, 29, became the world’s most expensive defender in 2014 when Chelsea sold him to PSG for around 50 million pounds ($65 million, 58 million euros).

But with his position at PSG under threat from compatriot Marquinhos, new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has brought him back to Stamford Bridge for a reported fee of 32 million pounds.

“I’m delighted to return to Chelsea. We had a fantastic story during my first time at the club and I want to help the team and Antonio Conte achieve a lot of success,” Luiz told the Chelsea website.

“I always had a wonderful relationship with the fans and I am looking forward to wearing the blue shirt at Stamford Bridge once again.”

Luiz looked in high spirits when he was pictured arriving at London’s St Pancras railway station earlier in the day after travelling to the English capital from Paris via Eurostar.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and black jeans while listening to music on his headphones, Luiz stopped for selfies with fans as he strolled through the station.

Although he endured criticism for some haphazard defending during his first Chelsea stint, Luiz helped the club win the Champions League for the first time when they defeated Bayern Munich in the 2012 final.

Luiz, who also played a key role as Chelsea won the 2012 FA Cup and 2013 Europa League, originally joined the Blues from Benfica in January 2011.

He made 143 appearances, scoring 12 goals, before his record-breaking switch to PSG.

Luiz has played against Chelsea four times in the two years since leaving the club as PSG were opponents in the Champions League in each of the last two seasons.

He vowed not to celebrate if he scored against his former club, but did so as PSG advanced on away goals at the expense of Chelsea in March 2015.

Luiz won nine trophies at PSG, including back-to-back Ligue 1, French Cup and French League Cup titles.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chelsea paid a reported 23 million pounds to sign former Bolton Wanderers left-back Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina.