OPINION
When West Ham United line up for their final game of the 2017/18 Premier League season, there may well be a few stars on the pitch playing their last game for the club.
Summer transfer windows bring with them so much uncertainty, and the coming months will inevitably bring with them several exits from the London Stadium.
One exit that looks more certain to happen than any other is that of Joao Mario, the attacking midfielder on loan from Inter Milan.
The 25-year-old Portugal international joined the Hammers on loan in January and has gone on to make 13 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and supplying one assist.
The Hammers are not believed to have an option to make the deal permanent, although the ace is also unlikely to remain at Inter this summer.
According to Calciomercato, the Italian giants have named £27million as their price for Mario, who cost them £38million in the summer of 2016.
The report does claim that Inter may be forced into accepting another loan offer for Mario, who is contracted to the club until 2021, with the potential for a loan-to-buy clause written in.
What this essentially means is that Mario is in last chance saloon on Sunday if he wants to earn another move to the London Stadium this summer, and he must play out of his skin to do so.
The Euro 2016 winner has showed glimpses of serious quality in recent weeks after a slow start to life in London, but has still not done enough to totally convince the Hammers of his worth, especially considering his £137,500-a-week wages [Goal].
A match-winning contribution on Sunday could definitely go a long way towards that, with Sky Sports revealing that a win and other favourable results could see the club earn £22million for finishing in tenth in the table.
Therefore, if Mario pulls up trees against the Toffees and West Ham end up receiving a large windfall for a higher finish, then he would have done all he can to convince the club to take a punt on a permanent deal this summer.
It is a perfect opportunity, a golden ticket to a future at West Ham, and he must take it to secure his future at the London Stadium.
