Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry hopes to sign permanently with Everton.
The midfielder's Goodison Park loan deal is set to expire next summer, when his existing contract with parent club Manchester City will also come to an end.
Barry told evertonfc.com: "Personally, it's a really strange situation, I've never had it before. In January you can start discussing your future for next season but I think the Club made it clear that they would probably like to discuss things at the end of the season and if I put in fantastic performances from here until then, then that puts me in a good position.
"I'm really enjoying it and I'm as excited now as I was when I signed because I've got a feel for the Club, I'm enjoying working under the manager and the coaching staff here, the training is fantastic and the style of the play the manager wants us to play is really enjoyable, so I'm really excited for the rest of the season.
"A lot of people have spoken to me and said you could have so many options going into your last year but, for me, now it's just about playing for Everton, keeping a good run of form going and taking it from there."
