Heartbreak for United as European champion muscles in on move for elite French wonderkid – Sky Sports

Manchester United’s pursuit of French starlet Axel Tape appears to have suffered a decisive blow with Bayer Leverkusen emerging as the front runners to sign the Paris-Saint Germain defender, according to a report.

The Red Devils were linked with a move for Tape, 17, as part of an ambitious triple raid on PSG for three of the Ligue 1 champions’ highly-rated academy stars, along with Mahamadou Sangare and Oumar Camara.

All three youngsters are set to leave the Parc de Princes this summer as their contracts will expire at the end of the season and they are free to negotiate with potential suitors.

United have demonstrated a renewed emphasis on attracting the best young talent from across world football since INEOS gained control of the sporting operation at Old Trafford.

The captures of Ayden Heaven (18) and Chido Obi (17) from Premier League rival have been supplemented by the signing of Sekou Kone (18) from Mali side Guidars FC and Paraguayan wonderkid Diego Leon (17) from Cerro Porteño.

Tape – a quintessential modern centre-back, combining excellent physical attributes with high level ball-playing skills – is considered one of the best defensive prospects in Europe, with a host of clubs across the continent joining United in their pursuit.

Ruben Amorim’s three-at-the-back system would be the ideal formation for a young defender with Tape’s skillset to walk into, as Heaven’s ascension into the first-team this season has demonstrated.

An academy football expert believes the 17-year-old has the ” potential to play at the top level in Europe” and represents a “great market opportunity” for whoever wins the race for his signature, drawing a comparison to Bournemouth’s breakout star Dean Huijsen.

However, in a crushing blow to United, Florian Plettenberg (Sky Sports) reveals Tape is “very open” to joining Bayer Leverkusen and would “prefer” a move to the Bundesliga champions over one to the Premier League.

🚨⚫️🔴 Axel #Tape is very open to joining Bayer 04 Leverkusen this summer as a free agent. Leverkusen see him as a top player for the future.

Simon Rolfes and Kim Falkenberg have had video calls with the player and his agent, and Tape was impressed. Premier League clubs were… pic.twitter.com/lvrlgEQJDw

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) May 3, 2025

Tweet: “Axel #Tape is very open to joining Bayer 04 Leverkusen this summer as a free agent. Leverkusen see him as a top player for the future.

Simon Rolfes and Kim Falkenberg have had video calls with the player and his agent, and Tape was impressed. Premier League clubs were also interested, but the 17-year-old talented centre-back from Paris SG 23 would prefer a move to Leverkusen.”

Plettenberg is a Bundesliga football expert with excellent contacts in Germany meaning this update is likely to be a nail in the coffin for United’s pursuit of Tape, though INEOS have proven they will pull out all the stops to secure elite young defenders, as last summer’s move for Leny Yoro proved.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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