Carlo Ancelotti wants to tempt Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin over to Real Madrid, according to The Sun.
What's the latest transfer news involving Calvert-Lewin?
After leaving Everton earlier this month to rejoin Real, Ancelotti was recently linked with trying to lure Brazilian midfielder Allan away from Goodison Park and over to the Spanish capital.
He now appears to have set his sights on another player that he managed during his time with the Toffees - England international Calvert-Lewin.
What were Calvert-Lewin's stats in 2020/21?
Calvert-Lewin had the best goalscoring season of his career in 2020/21 as he netted 16 times in the Premier League. He was the third-highest English scorer in the top-flight behind Harry Kane (23) and Patrick Bamford (17).
The 6 foot 3 forward has developed a reputation for being a handful in the air, having won 4.7 aerial duels per game this term (via WhoScored). This figure was some way clear of Everton's next best player in this category, Michael Keane (3.2).
His fine start to the season earned him an England debut back in October, and he has since gone on to win 10 caps, scoring four goals for his country already.
Could Ancelotti use his Goodison knowledge to land Calvert-Lewin?
Absolutely.
It has been reported that Everton have lost £240m over the last two years, and that the club may need to consider selling one of their top players to avoid falling foul of Financial Fair Play.
Ancelotti is aware of Everton's financial issues, which contributed to his departure from Merseyside, and could reportedly use that to his advantage this summer.
Given that Calvert-Lewin is still only 24 and has just had an excellent campaign, Everton could usually expect to get upwards of £60m for the attacker.
However, as they may need to cash in on one of their star players in the transfer window, the club's owner Farhad Moshiri could be willing to accept an offer in the region of £50m instead.
Having worked at the club for 18 months, Ancelotti understands how Everton are currently operating, and this could lead to him landing Calvert-Lewin in the coming weeks for a relatively modest price.
Could Everton's big issue be about to get even worse?
Everton were the lowest scorers in the top half of the Premier League in 2020/21. In fact, they scored eight goals less than the next lowest scorers in the top 10, Arsenal. This indicates that finding the back of the net was a major issue, and one of the biggest reasons for the club ending the season down in an underwhelming 10th place.
Under Ancelotti, Everton scored just 47 league goals, with Calvert-Lewin netting 34% of those strikes. By scoring over a third of Everton's goals this year, it is clear that Calvert-Lewin was heavily relied on by the team, so to lose him would be a major blow for the club.
Arguably Everton's biggest problem this season was their lack of goals, and this would become an even greater concern if Calvert-Lewin were to depart this summer, as this would leave the side without an obvious attacking threat heading into next term.