Former Nice midfielder Julien Sable has signed for Bastia until the end of the current Ligue 1 season.

The 34-year-old left the Stade Municipale du Ray at the end of the 2011-12 campaign, rejecting an approach from Ligue 2 club Chateauroux in order to prolong his career in the top flight.

At his unveiling in Corsica, Sable told sc-bastia.com: "I said four months ago that I was waiting for the opportunity that would really excite me.

"Bastia is a well-supported club with a demanding fanbase. The objective is to keep Sporting moving forward after two great seasons.

"I'm a guy who loves a challenge."

The Marseille-born midfielder represented St Etienne over 300 times in his 10-year spell at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, also representing France at youth level.

Bastia recently ended their seven-year exile from the top tier by winning successive promotions under the management of Frederic Hantz.