Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly in a two-horse race to sign talented Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Axel Tape, who is set to leave Les Parisiens as a free agent this summer.
The 2007-born defender made his debut for Luis Enrique's side earlier this season, starting a 4-2 Coupe de France sixth-round win over Espaly back in January.
Tape has also made five matchday squads across the Ligue 1 and Champions League campaigns, including an appearance as an unused substitute in January's 4-2 Champions League win over Manchester City.
The Bondy-born defender has also showcased his talents at the other end of the field, scoring three goals in 11 appearances for PSG's Under-19 side, but he is out of contract in the summer.
Tape is still registered to PSG as a youth player, and according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the teenager has turned down the chance to sign his first professional contract with the Ligue 1 champions.
Tottenham 'pushing' to win race for Tape
🚨 🔴🔵 Axel Tape ne va pas signer son premier contrat professionnel au PSG.
— Fabrice Hawkins (@FabriceHawkins) April 24, 2025
Le Bayer Leverkusen est bien positionné pour l'accueillir. Tottenham pousse aussi pour récupérer le joueur polyvalent de 17 ans. pic.twitter.com/jy9IrPzGSS
Tape's path to the first team at PSG is blocked by the likes of Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Lucas Hernandez and Willian Pacho, as well as the seldom-seen Presnel Kimpembe.
As a result, the France Under-18 international is preparing to advance his career elsewhere, and Spurs are supposedly one of two clubs pushing to conclude a free transfer.
However, Hawkins states that Bayer Leverkusen are currently 'well-placed' to sign the 17-year-old, who can play as a central midfielder as well as in the heart of defence.
The reigning Bundesliga champions are confirmed to be waving goodbye to Jonathan Tah when his contract runs out in the summer, while Piero Hincapie has often been tipped to leave too.
Meanwhile, Spurs' long-serving defender Ben Davies is out of contract in a few months' time, while Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero's futures have also been called into question amid Tottenham's disastrous season.
The Lilywhites can still salvage their campaign by winning the Europa League, but they are down in 16th place in the Premier League table, and Romero is said to be on the radar of both Madrid clubs.
Spurs could repeat Luka Vuskovic transfer trick with Tape
![Luka Vuskovic pictured in April 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/24/luka-vuskovic_1.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Luka Vuskovic pictured in April 2024 [IMAGO]")
© Imago
Leverkusen may expect to have the upper hand over Tottenham based purely on both teams' performance on the field, but the English club have recent when it comes to striking deals for embryonic defenders.
Last summer, Spurs snapped up talented 18-year-old Croat Luka Vuskovic, who will officially join the Lilywhites from Hajduk Split on July 1 in a deal worth £9.4m.
Vuskovic has been plying his trade on loan at Belgian outfit KVC Westerlo this season and is enhancing his reputation as a prolific defender, managing an eye-catching seven goals and three assists from 32 games.
The Croatian - who is just six months older than Tape - has a very bright future ahead of him at Spurs, and the prospect of a partnership with Tape in 10 years' time is a very exciting one.
Ben Knapton
