Carlo Ancelotti must urge Farhad Moshiri to fund a move for Everton to sign Southampton striker Danny Ings during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Toffees have joined a growing list of clubs thought to be monitoring Ings’ situation at St. Mary’s with the striker yet to commit his long-term future to the Saints.

Southampton had made locking down their £75,000-per-week marksman to a new contract their top priority of the winter market and they expected a deal to be wrapped up by the New Year, but Ings is now said to be stalling on the terms of his proposed new contract.

Ings has 18-months remaining on his current deal and has been offered a four-year contract to commit his future to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side. Yet his refusal to put pen to paper has opened the door for a clutch of vultures to begin circling around the south coast.

As well as Everton, Leicester City are claimed to be monitoring Ings’ stand-off, while Tottenham Hotspur are keeping track of negotiations with a view to a potential summer bid, as the contract rebel believes he has the potential to play for a side fighting for a spot in the Champions League.

Southampton are expected to rebuff any and all approaches in the January transfer window as they fight tooth and nail to persuade the 28-year-old to stay, having seen Ings rediscover his form following his nightmare stint with Liverpool that was plagued by serious injuries.

Should Everton test Southampton’s resolve?

With Everton well and truly in the mix for a top-four finish this season, Ancelotti should be doing all he can to convince the Blues’ majority owner Moshiri to bankroll a move to sign Ings this month with an offer simply too good for Southampton to refuse.

Marcel Brands has admitted that he does not “expect” to make any signings this month as the Director of Football priorities offloading those deemed surplus to requirements, but he should make an exception for a player like Ings or risk missing out come the summer.

The three-time England international has the potential to get Everton over the top-four hurdle that has thwarted the Merseyside outfit since 2005, having netted 36 goals in 75 Premier League games for Southampton.

Only Jamie Vardy (23) scored more top-flight goals than Ings (22) last season, too, as he ran the Foxes ace down to the wire in the race for the Golden Boot. His form also led talkSPORT pundit Clinton Morrison to wax lyrical over the £18m-rated man’s talents and claim the Saints star is good enough for a side sitting in the top echelon of the division.

“Yes, I would say Danny Ings is top-four quality, most definitely. The season he's had at Southampton, if you put him in one of the teams at the top four, he'd easily score goals like that,” Morrison said, via quotes by Hampshire Live.

“I look at the way Ings plays at the moment, his movement is first class and I used to say to Robbie Keane, how do you get in behind defenders when you're not rapid? His movement was first class and Danny Ings is like that.”

Everton could certainly do with a player like Ings in their push for Champions League qualification this season, having seen how quickly things can become difficult when Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not fit or firing on full cylinders.

No one has scored more often than Calvert-Lewin for Ancelotti this season, with the 23-year-old netting 11 in 16 Premier League games. But he is without a goal in his last six outings across all competitions, while Everton were forced to field two false nines at Wolves earlier this month while the £40.5m-rated star sat out with a hamstring injury.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit reacts as Everton to hand £100k-p/w man a new contract.