Chelsea eye Liverpool target Youssouf Fofana – and a clear-out – as Man United look for a keeper

Chelsea already has more proverbial toppings than Domino’s, but that doesn’t stop them from looking at former pizza delivery man Youssouf Fofana.

The Monaco midfielder, who played for France at the World Cup, is followed by Liverpool and emerges as an option for Chelsea this summer.

Fofana is clearly looking to make it big in the game, as he chose to deliver pizza to make ends meet after taking a beating from France’s national academy in Clairefontaine as a 15-year-old.

Strasbourg gave him a second chance after their scouts saw him playing amateur football and he then settled in Monaco, even making it to the World Cup final.

Chelsea, who also admire Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, know Fofana well thanks to co-sporting director Laurence Stuart, who joined from Monaco last October. However, they will first try to eliminate players to reduce the squad of new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Mason Mount, worth £80 million, remains a prime target for Liverpool, while Mateo Kovacic is wanted at Bayern Munich.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is another to join what could be a long queue for the exit. Pochettino reportedly sees striker and goalkeeper as the most important areas to strengthen.

He delighted Pep Guardiola by overcoming obstacles early in his loan spell at Sheffield United and now Manchester City are preparing to offer midfielder James McAtee a new contract.

The 20-year-old not only won promotion at Sheffield United, but also won the young player of the year award.

During his first loan spell at City, McAtee initially struggled to adjust to the rigors of Championship football, but stuck to the task and matured under the guidance of Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom.

He has scored eight goals to date, establishing himself as a popular figure in the dressing room and earning praise from Guardiola for his mental resilience. That, in turn, has caught the Premier League’s attention from Aston Villa, Leicester City, Brighton, Brentford, Leeds United and Bournemouth, with Sheffield United eager for another loan.

Still, City, who could lose Ilkay Gundogan and Cole Palmer this summer, believe he can step up again and be ready to discuss new terms when he returns.

Sunderland makes a pitch for Jobe Bellingham of Birmingham City. The 17-year-old midfielder is set to leave St Andrew’s this summer and is said to cost around £300,000 in damages.

Jobe’s big brother Jude, who is expected to make a decision on his own future soon, sat in the stands next to singer Tom Grennan to watch his brother play 90 minutes in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Coventry City.

As Mail Sport’s Craig Hope revealed last year, Sunderland have already laid the groundwork for young Jobe after inviting the Bellingham family to a home game last season.

Their upward trajectory towards the play-offs will also help father Mark, who Transfer Confidential understand passed his agent’s exam last week, make his decision.

Tottenham scouts checked on James Ward-Prowse during Southampton’s 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.

At 28, the Southampton captain doesn’t fit the profile of many elite clubs, but his quality means he will still be on some checklists.

Tottenham and Newcastle are among those waiting to see what Southampton will ask for Ward-Prowse if they go down.

As Confidential revealed, Tottenham have another Newcastle target, £50m rated Leicester City’s James Maddison, as their creative midfield priority, but they are also eyeing Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White for that role.

His current teammate goalkeeper Dean Henderson is also on the Spurs list, along with Brentford’s David Raya.

Wolves defender Max Kilman is another player being considered at Tottenham Hotspur. They also watched Lyon’s Castello Lukeba against Strasbourg on Friday, but have yet to be convinced by the 20-year-old.

Talks are intensifying as Crystal Palace try to finalize a deal for Flamengo flyer Matheus Franca.

We told you last week that Palace sent a delegation to Brazil to see the boy with Maracana magic in his boots. They had first discussed the 19-year-old in November and returned ten days ago to discuss a price.

Franca may have an eye-watering £163m buyout clause, but Flamengo is looking at a somewhat more conservative £30m plus resale rate. Palace would try for around £20 million plus add-ons.

Arsenal keep watch over Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. The stylish 22-year-old also remains on Tottenham’s wish list.

Arsenal want a central defender over concerns over William Saliba’s long-term fitness, while Rob Holding’s contract expires next year.

They also checked Dinamo Zagreb international defender Josip Sutalo, aged 23, last week.

While Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice will top the new Manchester United owner’s to-do list, club scouts continue to monitor potential new goalkeepers.

Should David de Gea reach a compromise on his incentive-laden new contract, Dean Henderson will not want to stay. Henderson’s season on loan at Nottingham Forest has ended with a thigh injury and he has even more motivation to play regularly next season rather than return as a substitute.

They checked Croatia’s number one Dominik Livakovic as Dinamo Zagreb drew 0-0 at Hajduk Split on Sunday. Livakovic, around £10m, is attractive to a number of English clubs, but is not the best with the ball at his feet.

United scout Tommy Moller Nielsen also watched Sweden international Leopold Wahlstedt keep a clean sheet for Odds Bk against Rosenborg on Sunday. Leeds United also eyed the 23-year-old.

Aston Villa and Leeds were disappointed last week when Hearts signed talented teenager James Wilson on a two-year contract.

The 16-year-old had visited clubs in England and met Rangers, but signed after being convinced by Hearts’ path to the first team. Even Celtic, Manchester United, Fulham and Brighton tried to lure him away.

It looks like sporting director Joe Savage could stage another coup by persuading Hearts’ highly regarded young midfielder Gus Stevenson to stay as well.

Premier League leaders Manchester City have expressed keen interest in Stevenson, as have Southampton and Rangers, but indications are that the 16-year-old will commit to Hearts in the coming weeks.

City hope to have better luck with 15-year-old goalkeeper Thorsten ‘Spike’ Brits who they are looking to sign from AFC Wimbledon.

Newcastle keep reports on Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram. Khephren, named after an Egyptian pharaoh, is the 6 foot 10 son of former France World Cup winner Lilian.

Whether he takes part is in the lap of the gods, as Eddie Howe remains a fan of Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, but the club at Old Trafford are hesitant to sell at this stage.

The scouts from Newcastle and Liverpool also saw Sporting Lisbon beat Famalicao on Sunday. Sporting midfielder Manuel Ugarte was another under scrutiny.

He attended the same high school in Leicester as rock band Kasabian and was nicknamed ‘Zlatan’ and ‘Crouchie’ by his teammates, so six-foot-tall Tom Bloxham is eager to make a big impression.

The 19-year-old Shrewsbury Town striker is on Blackburn Rovers’ radar, with Swansea City and Rotherham United also aware of his sky-high potential.