Carlo Ancelotti offered praise for Ben Godfrey last night, as it emerged Everton have stepped up their move for the Norwich defender.
The Italian boss refused to be drawn on whether the Goodison club had delivered a £26m formal bid for the centre half, but he admitted his admiration for the player.
The Blues are thought to be close to agreeing a deal for the 22-year-old, with their offer understood to be £20m up front, with further bonus payments which could reach £26m in total.
And Ancelotti - who confirmed that he is still keen on signing a centre-half - did little to play down the news when asked whether Everton had submitted the bid.
“I said in the past that we are looking for a centre-back because we are short there, and Godfrey is a really good centre-back, but he is at this moment playing for Norwich, so I can’t say more,” he said.
Godfrey made 30 appearances in the Premier League for Norwich last season, his impressive form winning him a call up to the England under-21 squad.
He has started all the Canaries' opening three matches of the Championship this season, but it is understood he will be allowed to leave if a deal can be thrashed out.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti backed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to earn an England call-up after the striker scored his second hat-trick of the season on Wednesday night.
Calvert-Lewin scored three as Everton beat West ham 4-1 to earn a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
It followed hot on the heels of his first career treble, which came in the 5-2 Premier League win over West Brom 12 days ago.
Gareth Southgate is set to name his England squad on Thursday for matches against Wales, Belgium and Denmark this month.
And Ancelotti reckons it will be hard for the Three Lions boss to ignore Calvert-Lewin, who has now scored eight goals in five matches this season.
How high can Everton finish in the Premier League this season? Have your say in the comments below
"He's doing a fantastic job in the moment. He's really on fire and scoring a lot of goals," said Ancelotti.
"He's in a very good moment. Whether he's the best [English striker] I don't know, but I don't care. For me, for us, he is."
Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.
