Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to pull off a swoop to sign Barnsley striker Daryl Dike from parent club Orlando City this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, the Toffees have begun to track Dike’s progress at Oakwell and could move to snap up the 20-year-old at the end of the season.

Dike joined the Tykes on loan in January and has made an instant impact on their bid for promotion out of the Championship, netting five goals in 11 games and he was voted as the club’s Player of the Month for March.

His strikes include winning efforts at home to Birmingham City and on the road to Wycombe Wanderers, and he is yet to miss a fixture under Reds boss Valerien Ismael.

Barnsley hold an option to purchase Dike at the end of the season, said to be worth £17m, but it is considered likely that his performances may spark Premier League interest.

Everton’s scouts are understood to have been captivated by how Dike has adapted to the English game with a string of great displays prior to the international break.

Orlando City are quoted by Eurosport as valuing Dike at $20m (£14.5m), while TEAMtalk report that up to half of the top-flight have eyes on the forward’s situation.

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The Toffees are claimed to have shown the most interest, but Leeds, West Ham, Wolves and Newcastle are also keeping close tabs. Manchester United and Chelsea have been impressed by his talents, as well.

Should Everton sign Orlando City’s Dike?

Everton may face a challenge to bring Dike to Goodison Park in the off-season as Barnsley will no doubt look to turn his temporary spell at Oakwell into a permanent move, should Ismael manage to lead the Tykes into the top-flight.

Taking hold of an option to buy was a key reason why Barnsley signed Dike in the winter market, in a deal the Reds’ Chief Executive Dane Murphy claims to be worth less than the reported fee.

“It’s not realistic that Barnsley would agree to that,” he told the Barnsley Chronicle. “You just laugh at some of the numbers being thrown around. It’s silly season. The buy option is quite similar to prices we have paid for players before.

“It was key to the deal that we got a buy option in. We have made it pretty clear over the last few years that just pure loans don’t really appeal to us unless they are special circumstances.”

Murphy also waxed lyrical over the striker while speaking with The Athletic, claiming: “Daryl has a wealth of talent and he hasn’t reached his heights yet.

“But to expect what we’ve seen, the impact we’ve seen, the run of the team from where it was prior to him coming in, it would be a bit of a false narrative to say we expected it.”

Barnsley have taken nine wins in Dike’s 11 games, drawing once and losing once, to now sit inside the Play-Off positions, having been 12th and six points outside the top-six prior to the two-cap USMNT striker’s arrival.

Ancelotti may need another striker with Dike’s talent – and ability to score what Ismael describes as “unbelievable” goals – at Everton next season amid doubt in the futures of Moise Kean and Joshua King.

And with Dike having a seemingly high ceiling to his potential, the American could prove to be an interesting option that Ancelotti can mould into his own liking.

AND in other news, a Carlo Ancelotti target once valued at £89m “would be interested” in joining Everton this summer…