Born and raised in the Paris suburb of Bondy, Axel Tape played for FC 93 Bobigny until the age of 12. Then in summer 2020, nearby top club Paris Saint-Germain came calling.
The technically gifted, fast and versatile Tape progressed through all the youth ranks at the current French treble winners. In the season just gone, he primarily featured for the PSG U19 side and started in every UEFA Youth League match.
The 1.80-metre-tall youngster also got his first taste of senior football in the 2024/25 campaign. Having been included in Luis Enrique's squad for the first time in November, he made his debut in the Coupe de France in January, starting in the centre of defence alongside Lucas Hernandez.
After this successful professional debut, Tape also got the chance to impress at the end of the Ligue 1 season, playing 90 minutes at centre-back in both the 2-1 defeat to Racing Strasbourg on Matchday 32 and the 4-1 win over Montpellier HSC on Matchday 33.
As well as the treble of the Champions League, league and cup for the first team, Tape also celebrated the French U19 championship at the end of the season. He and his team-mates beat FC Nantes 2-1 in the final last weekend.
Bayer 04 managing director sport Simon Rolfes considers the French U18 international "a versatile defensive player, a good footballer with pace, athleticism and a sharp reading of the game. We see great potential in Axel."
Ecuador international Piero Hincapie, who moved to Arsenal FC on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen for the 2025/26 season, will join the English champions permanently on 1 July 2026.
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Black and Red stand out. Under the slogan ‘Diversity under the Cross’, Bayer 04 took part in Pride on the Rhine at the weekend alongside the queer fan club “Bayer 04 Junxx”. The club mascot, Brian the Lion, and several members of staff were also in attendance, championing diversity and solidarity.
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