Frank McCourt has taken control of Marseille. Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has completed his takeover of Marseille from Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.

McCourt paid a reported €45 million to buy the Ligue 1 club from the widow of Franco-Swiss businessman Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who bought L'OM in 1997 but died in 2009.

The nine-time Ligue 1 champions have stagnated in recent seasons and only managed a 13th-place finish in the league last season, but McCourt has promised a brighter future ahead.

"Today opens a new chapter in the great history of Olympique de Marseille," he said in a statement on the club website. "A chapter of which I am proud and honoured to be a part.

"I have no doubt that the challenges OM have had to face on and off the field have had a negative impact on the fans in recent years. Despite the difficulties, the fans have been loyal and steadfast in their support, demonstrating the power of sport and the affection they have for our club.

"I want to tell the fans: 'I thank you sincerely for your continued support. And perhaps more importantly, I wish to assure you of my commitment to make every effort to be worthy of your support and pursue our sporting ambitions'."

The 63-year-old McCourt has a background in real estate, but also has an extensive history in the business side of sport.

The grandson of a part-owner of the Boston Braves baseball team, he once attempted to buy Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox but instead acquired the Dodgers in 2004.

After being part of one of the most expensive divorce proceedings in California history, McCourt sold the Dodgers to a group fronted by basketball star Magic Johnson for a record price of $2 billion in 2012 -- the most ever paid for a sports team.

McCourt acquired the operating rights to the Los Angeles Marathon in 2008, and bought 50 percent of show-jumping's Global Champions Tour in 2014.