One pal took it inside to copy (7)
I believe the answer is:
imitate
'copy' is the definition.
(I know that copy can be written as imitate)
'one pal took it inside' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'pal' becomes 'mate' (I've seen this before).
'took' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'inside' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'i'+'mate'='imate'
'imate' placed around 'it' is 'IMITATE'.
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for imitate that I've seen before include "Mimic or follow as a model" , "Follow suit" , "Copy someone" , "Copy or mimic" , "Appear like, in behaviour or appearance" .)