Levante sign France and Ivory Coast defender Axel Tape on loan from Leverkusen

France and Ivory Coast centre-back Axel Tape has joined Levante from Bayer Leverkusen on loan, adding the 19-year-old defender to the La Liga club’s squad for the 2026-27 season.

Tape’s move to Spain was completed on 30 August 2026, with the loan scheduled to run until 30 June 2027. He will return to Leverkusen at the end of the arrangement.

The right-footed defender, who stands 1.80m tall, moves to Levante after one season with the German club. Tape joined Leverkusen from Paris Saint-Germain’s under-23 side on 1 July 2025 in a free transfer.

Before moving into senior football, Tape came through PSG’s youth system. He joined the Paris club from Bobigny’s youth setup in 2020 and progressed through the under-17 and under-23 teams.

Tape arrives at Levante with a collection of honours from his time at PSG. He was part of the club’s 2024-25 squad that won the UEFA Champions League, the French league title and the French Cup. He also won the French Under-19 Championship twice, in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, with PSG’s youth side.

The move takes Tape from the Bundesliga to La Liga and gives Levante a defender whose listed primary position is centre-back. His market value is recorded at €8m, following a rise from €2m when he left PSG’s under-23 team for Leverkusen.

Tape’s arrival also marks the latest stage of a rapid progression that began in the Paris area. Born in Bondy, he represented PSG at youth level before making his move to Germany, where he spent the 2025-26 campaign with Leverkusen.

His transfer takes place at the start of the 2026-27 season, with the loan agreement covering the campaign in Spain. Levante have therefore secured Tape’s services until the end of June 2027, when the temporary move concludes and the player is due to return to Leverkusen.