MADRID, July 7 (Xinhua) -- La Liga club Rayo Vallecano on Monday confirmed the signing of central defender Luiz Felipe.

The Brazil-born 28-year-old has one cap for Italy, and joins the Madrid outfit after rescinding his contract with French side Olympique Marseille.

The move sees him return to Spain after a busy few years, during which he made 27 league appearances for Real Betis in the 2022-23 season before joining Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad for over 20 million euros (23.5 million US dollars). He spent two and a half seasons there before a disappointing spell at Marseille.

Luiz Felipe is Rayo's first signing of the summer as the club prepares to play a preliminary round to qualify for the group stage of the Conference League, after finishing eighth place in La Liga last season.

Rayo needs to strengthen its defense after allowing Aridane Hernandez to leave the club, while Abdul Mumin is sidelined with a long-term injury.

Spanish media has commented that Rayo could serve as a stop-gap for Luiz Felipe before a mooted return to Betis in 2026, with a clause in his Al-Ittihad contract ruling out a return to the Seville-based outfit this year. ■