Lausanne (AFP) – Marseille’s rebuilding programme continued on Thursday as the ambitious Ligue 1 club signed Adil Rami the France defender on a four-year deal from Sevilla.

The 31-year-old has 33 caps for France, won the Ligue 1 title with Lille in 2011, the Europa League in 2016 with Sevilla and had solid spells at Valencia and AC Milan behind him.

The defender will be rejoining Rudi Garcia, who was coach at Lille in 2011, and who was brought in by Marseille’s new owner American businessman Frank McCourt, who wants to try and rival Ligue 1 big guns Monaco and PSG.

Rami’s signing is the club’s fourth of the close season, following the arrival of striker Valere Germain from champions Monaco, Brazil midfielder Luiz Gustavo from Wolfsburg, and the return of French international goalkeeper Steve Mandanda from Crystal Palace.

Marseille came fifth in Ligue 1 last season but are France’s best supported team and the only French club to have won the Champions League with their 1-0 win over AC Milan. They last won the French top flight under Didier Deschamps in 2010.