Everton are reportedly one of a handful of clubs who are in the hunt for Southampton's Danny Ings amid his refusal to extend his current contract.

The 28-year-old forward has been one of the most prolific players in the Premier League since his permanent transfer from Liverpool in July 2019, notching a return of 22 in 38 league games in the 19/20 season. 

That's the type of record that's bound to attract interest from rivals clubs, and Everton are one of several interested parties according to 90min.com.

The report claims that the Toffees and Leicester City have joined Tottenham Hotspur in the race for his signature. 

90min claim that Ings has refused to sign a four-year deal with the Saints and indicate the club may be forced to let him go in the summer rather than risk losing him as a free agent when his contract expires in June 2022. 

GIVEMESPORT's Jack Saville says...

Even with the red-hot form of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in mind, this would be an excellent signing for Everton. 

Calvert-Lewin has been a revelation under Carlo Ancelotti but has unreasonably lofty expectations on his shoulders with little by way of first-class centre-forward alternatives residing in Everton's squad. 

Ings' return in front of goal - 40 goals in 82 Southampton games - is indicative of his potency inside the penalty area, and his current teammate Kyle Walker-Peters gave an insight into how he finds the net with such regularity while speaking to talkSPORT in August 2020. 

The former Spurs right-back spoke of Ings' consistency with his technique in training and drew an intriguing parallel with Harry Kane. 

“They definitely have similarities. When I see them practising their finishing, their finishing is so clean. It’s the same strike every time, both feet, low and hard.

“I think that’s what makes them so good. Lots of times you see strikers or forwards get bored of the same finish and they start trying chips and stuff but those two it’s the same, shift and bang.”

Kane, who has won two Premier League Golden Boots and one World Cup Golden Boot in his esteemed career, has an insatiable appetite for goal scoring, and the fact Ings has been compared to the £108m-rated forward speaks volumes about how highly he is regarded on the south coast. 

Given what he has achieved in such a short space of time under Ralph Hasenhuttl's tutelage, Ings could find an extra gear at Everton during the peak years of his career.