Lecce want to keep defender Samuel Umtiti on loan from Barça

Samuel Umtiti's long-term future is still up in the air but the French centre-back seems to have recovered his best form after his loan spell in Italian football.

Lecce sporting director Pantaleo Corvino, though, has indicated that they are absolutely open to trying to keep Umtiti on loan.

"If we have the player's and Barça's approval, that can be explored. Umtiti already chose our project last summer," he told 'calciomercato.it'.

Corvino, however, made it clear that such a big deal could only be done with the complicity of everyone.

"We hope to be able to implement other opportunities working with Barça's," he added. "Barça took our possibilities very much into account and that's how everything could be done."

For Corvino, the addition of Umtiti was very important for the team: "His arrival responded to the need we had to bring in some experienced players to help the young players in the squad. Umtiti came in like that and it has worked."