Marseille stalwart Payet joins Brazil's Vasco da Gama

Marseille veteran Dimitri Payet is bound for Brazil side Vasco da Gama after signing a "pre-contract", the Rio de Janeiro club announced on Sunday.

The former France international's move comes after he was cleared to leave French Ligue 1 Marseille before the final year of his contract last month.

"Our number 10 has arrived! Payet has signed a pre-contract with Vasco," the Brazil side announced on social media.

"He'll arrive in Rio in the coming days to have his medical and sign the contract," Vasco added.

Local media suggest Payet, 36, joins the club which has yo-yoed between the first and second divisions over the past few seasons on a deal until 2025.

Payet, with eight goals from 48 appearances for France, leaves Marseille where he became a fans' favourite over two spells totalling eight seasons.

He also had a stint with Premier League side West Ham from 2015 to 2017, making 49 appearances and scoring 11 goals before returning to Marseille.

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He leaves the Velodrome having played 326 matches for Marseille, scoring 78 goals but with no silverware to show for his endeavour.

Payet never managed to fit into the plans of ex-coach Igor Tudor in his final season. He appeared only 26 times, scoring four goals, generally grabbing a few minutes at the end of a game in a season when Marseille finished third in Ligue 1.