July 24 (Reuters) - Moroccan midfielder Bilal Nadir has ⁠swapped Ligue 1 for the Bundesliga after ‌signing a long-term deal with Hamburg SV on a free transfer from Olympique de Marseille, the German club said ​on Friday.

The 22-year-old midfielder joins after ⁠spending five years ⁠with Marseille, where he progressed from the reserve side ⁠to ‌the first team and made 53 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals ⁠and providing five assists.

"I'm very happy to ​be a ‌HSV player now. I can't wait to ⁠meet the ​HSV fans and play for Hamburg," Nadir said.

Sporting director Claus Costa praised his technical quality, work ⁠rate and ability to control the ​tempo of matches.

"Bilal has a lot of quality and is technically very strong," Costa said, adding that ⁠the midfielder's intelligence on and off the ball would strengthen the squad.

Born in Nice in November 2003, Nadir came through the youth ranks ​at Nice before joining Marseille ⁠in 2021 and making his professional debut two years ​later.

He received his first ‌senior Morocco call-up in March ​2025, but is still awaiting his international debut.

(Reporting Ashraf Hamed AttaEditing by Toby Davis)