Udinese sports director Federico Balzaretti insists Lazar Samardzic could yet stay.

Samardzic has been linked with a move away at the end of the season.

Balzaretti said: "Lazar has had a complicated but very important season for his growth.

"If he doesn't play it's due to a technical choice. As (Miralem) Pjanic recalls, they also said about him that he was slow and had no structure."

Balzaretti also spoke on Tottenham's interest in Festy Ebosele.

He added, "He arrived as a diamond in the rough, we are doing in-depth work on him."