Former St Etienne star Laurent Paganelli has urged Maxime Lopez to quit Olympique Marseille for Spain.

The midfield schemer has been linked with Sevilla, though Paganelli says he should aim for higher.

He told La Provence: "I told him: if you have to leave, go to Barca, not to Sevilla!

"It's a club for him. He plays in corridors like (Andres) Iniesta. He is in construction, he feeds, likes to touch the ball. He is looking for the perfect pass and he always chooses the collective option. I find it hard to find a negative, even though I told him that I would like to see him more often at the edge of the box.

"He's playing forward, but he's too rarely in the 18-metre area - and I'm sure he would score more if he did. He represents modern football."