Carlo Ancelotti's Everton 'close to meeting Napoli's £36m asking price for midfielder Allan'

Everton are edging closer to meeting Napoli's £36million (€40m) valuation for midfielder Allan, according to reports in Italy.

The 29-year-old has been at the Serie A outfit since 2015, but has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Gennaro Gattuso at the end of last year and has been mainly used as a substitute.

But according to Italian outfit Il Mattino, the Toffees are getting closer to offering him an escape route from the Stadio San Paolo and have offered a deal of £34m (€38m), which includes various bonuses.

That figure has put them within touching distance of matching the £36m pricetag that Napoli have placed on the Brazilian.

However, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly keen on pushing for more of the figure to be a guaranteed cash sum and fewer performance-related bonuses involved.

A move to Everton would allow Allan to reunite with former Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti, who arrived at Goodison Park after being fired by the Italian outfit in December.

Allan - who made 33 appearances for Napoli during the 2019/20 season - had attracted plenty of interest from Everton in the January transfer window but a move failed to come to fruition.

However, reports in Italy last week insisted the 61-year-old former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss remains determined to sign Allan, with those reports suggesting a transfer fee of £22.5m was 'feasible'.

Ancelotti is desperate to bolster his squad following another disappointing season at Goodison Park.

Everton underwhelmed once again during the 2019-20 campaign, finishing a lowly 12th in the Premier League picking up just 13 victories along the way.