Bayer Leverkusen loan Axel Tape to Levante for the season

Bayer Leverkusen have sent Axel Tape to Levante on a season-long loan, giving one of their young defensive prospects a clearer route to first-team minutes in LaLiga.

The move has been officially confirmed by both clubs. Tape will spend the rest of the season with Levante, with no purchase option disclosed in either announcement, leaving the loan framed as a development step rather than the beginning of a permanent exit from Leverkusen.

The 19-year-old joined Bayer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2025 after coming through the French club’s academy system. His first season in Germany was limited by injuries and heavy competition for places, but Leverkusen have made clear they still see him as part of their longer-term planning.

Simon Rolfes, Bayer’s managing director of sport, said the club had “high hopes” for Tape and pointed to his pace, athleticism and versatility as reasons for that belief. The logic of the loan is straightforward: regular football in one of Europe’s strongest leagues should accelerate a development path that had slowed in Germany.

Levante describe Tape as a midfielder, while Leverkusen have used him as a versatile defensive player. That flexibility is part of the attraction. He can offer cover in deeper areas and gives the Spanish club a young, physically strong option who has already been exposed to elite environments despite his age.

Tape’s senior experience is still limited, but not empty. Levante noted that he made his PSG first-team debut in the Coupe de France in January 2025 before moving to Germany, where he went on to appear in the Bundesliga and make his Champions League debut with Leverkusen.

For Levante, the signing adds upside without a major permanent commitment. For Leverkusen, it is a controlled loan designed to turn potential into match rhythm. Tape’s task now is to make the move more than a temporary squad placement by earning enough minutes to return to Germany stronger next summer.