Britney Spears' desperate manager

Jul 21, 2008, 10:10 GMT

Britney in her heyday...Lee Roth / RothStock / PR Photos

Britney Spears' former manager hopes to rekindle his friendship with the troubled singer.

Sam Lutfi was prevented from seeing Britney after her parents took a restraining order out against him following her breakdown earlier this year, believing he was a negative influence on the 'Toxic' singer.

Sam is due in court for a review of the order - which forbids him from being closer than 250 yards away from the star - on July 31 and is said to be hopeful it will be lifted.

A source told In Touch Weekly magazine: "Sam believes that he and Britney are still friends. If the restraining order is lifted, he'll be back in her life for sure."

According to the insider, Sam still denies allegations made by Britney's mother Lynne that he drugged the singer and controlled her medications.

The source added: "Sam insists it will come out that the restraining order was against the wrong guy. So lifting the order would give him the chance to protect Britney from the vultures out there."

Sam is due in court the same day Britney's father's co-conservator role is set to be reviewed.

Jamie is currently jointly responsible for Britney's personal and professional affairs.

Meanwhile, Britney's lawyer claims she is happy with the outcome of her custody case, which saw ex-husband Kevin Federline retain custody of their two sons, Sean Preston, two and Jayden James, 22 months.

Laura Wasser said: "It's a victory for both sides. They both want what's best for the kids and they both wanted to avoid a trial. They thought it wasn't necessary or cost-effective. There was never a fight over custody. That wasn't the issue. The issue was about getting more time with the boys.

"Britney's doing great. The difference in her from the beginning of the year is astonishing. She's very excited to have her kids overnight. She will have more custodial time by the end of the year."

Under the agreement, Britney - who was described as "happy" in a public appearance at Jenny McCarthy's autism charity Generation Rescue on Saturday (19.07.08) - can receive three day visits and two overnight stays with her sons.