DAVID MOYES sent out the invitation shortly after full-time on Saturday, but he needn’t have bothered.

Admiring eyes have been trained on Marouane Fellaini for some time.

No sooner does the Belgian post a few impressive performances then whispers of his impending Everton exit once again drift towards the surface.

Or, as was the case earlier this week, old quotes concerning his future that led to a club fine earlier in the season.

Fellaini’s goal and assist in last Saturday’s win against Sunderland, following his brace at Fulham the previous weekend, has once again prompted chatter.

Moyes, though, had already seen it coming, given his post-match comments in which he bluntly informed any potential suitors to come and view the in-form midfielder for themselves.

Reading between the lines, the Goodison manager has clearly decided there is no point expending any further energy on convincing the player to stay.

Such persuasion will come from progress on the pitch, of which nobody can debate this season with Everton ensconced in the top four and playing the most impressive football during Moyes’s decade-long tenure.

The Scot’s pragmatic view is also strengthened by, as he pointed out, the fact the team has survived the loss of established talent such as Mikel Arteta and Joleon Lescott.

There’s no doubt Fellaini is an integral, influential part of this Everton vintage, now firmly justifying his club record £15million arrival of four years ago.

But if he believes Everton no longer match his ambitions, then there is little Moyes can, or evidently will, do to stop him departing – despite asking an astronomical amount for a player who barely 12 months ago penned a five-year contract.

However, where else could Fellaini go?