Inter Milan ace Joao Mario will not return to West Ham this summer after the conclusion of his loan spell, according to Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers insider website report that rumours Mario was set for a return to the London Stadium are well wide of the mark, with there being ‘no chance’ the 25-year-old playmaker would make his loan permanent.
Claret and Hugh claim that manager Manuel Pellegrini has his eye on other targets, with the club not impressed enough by the Portugal international to splash out the £25million asking price.
This is a major development in this story after a West Ham insider claimed on Twitter on Monday that the club were attempting to agree another loan deal for Mario.
OPINION
It is a shame to hear that Mario will definitely not be returning to the London Stadium this summer. The Euro 2016 winner had begun to show real glimpses of quality in the Premier League, and he scored a few important goals for the Hammers in the tail end of the season. The player himself had spoken about how happy he was at the club, and all signs seemed to point towards a potential return for Mario. However, under the new management of Pellegrini it appears that the club are going in a different direction, and that is understandable. It will be interesting to see if any other Premier League club decides to swoop for the 25-year-old if West Ham don’t, with Mario showing enough improvement to suggest he could be a force in the division with a full pre-season under his belt. A stunning goal for Portugal against Tunisia on Monday evening is a timely reminder of his talents, and West Ham could live to regret this decision.
