Carlo Ancelotti Says He Tried to Sign Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Napoli

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he attempted to sign Toffees striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin while he was manager at Napoli.

Calvert-Lewin, 22, has already set new personal bests for Premier League goals (eight) and goals in a single campaign (10) this season, and he's enjoying the most prolific spell of his budding career.

He scored twice to lead Everton to a 2-1 win at Newcastle United on Saturday, after which Ancelotti said he'd been tracking the Sheffield native for some time in Naples, per Phil Kirkbride of the Liverpool Echo: "He was a player we followed as a young striker, he was one of the players we followed but there was no possibility (to sign him). There are a lot of people who have eyes on him."

Ancelotti's comments hint he knows of clubs hoping to acquire the former England under-21 international, who slotted home his third brace of the season in all competitions at St James' Park (UK viewers only):

Calvert-Lewin has now played the full 90 minutes in each of Everton's last five Premier League games, which is positive for his development. Moise Kean's £29 million move from Juventus this past summer suggested Calvert-Lewin's game time may be limited, but he has led the line with confidence over the festive period.

Kean and Calvert-Lewin showed promise starting alongside one another for the first time in the league at Newcastle:

Ancelotti is unbeaten after two games in the Everton dugout, though that record will undergo a major test when they visit defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Wednesday. 

Everton assistant manager Duncan Ferguson appeared to improve the team during his short stint as caretaker manager following Marco Silva's dismissal at the beginning of December.

It's since Silva's departure that Calvert-Lewin has received a real run in the starting lineup, and Squawka noted he seems to be enjoying his football under Ancelotti in particular:

Men In Blazers host Roger Bennett lauded the forward's surge into scoring form, not to mention the rising confidence that's been more evident in his play:

Moving to a club like Napoli might have appealed to Calvert-Lewin more so in the summer, but his recent streak of scoring form will have reinvigorated his self-belief to become a Premier League hit.

He leads Everton's scorer charts this season and only appears to be improving under Ancelotti, who hopes his recent heroics in front of goal continue at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.