Chelsea are competing with the likes of Tottenham, Bournemouth and Bayer Leverkusen for the signature of Axel Tape.
The 17-year-old’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire at the end of the season and Sport Zone claim that the teenager has decided to leave the Parc des Princes.
Tape has recently made his senior debut for PSG, having been handed a start by Luis Enrique in the French Cup victory over Espaly back in mid-January.
The centre-back has subsequently made his first league appearances too, having played the full 90 minutes during the 2-1 defeat to Strasbourg and the 4-1 win against Montpellier earlier this month.
Despite having made his breakthrough into the senior setup, though, it appears Tape has made up his mind to move on to pastures new.
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Chelsea want to loan him out
It is believed that the Blues have already decided that they would send Tape to Strasbourg to play a full season in the Ligue One side’s first team if he does opt to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
Considering that the defender is likely to get offers from other teams where he wouldn’t be loaned out, it does suggest that Chelsea won’t be front of the queue to secure his services.
Tape is favouring a move to Germany
Sport Zone report that Leverkusen are currently in “pole position” to sign the centre-half. That is not a complete surprise considering they are a team willing to give young players a chance straight away.
There is also a vacancy to fill in the middle of defence, with Jonathan Tah expected to seal a free transfer switch away from the BayArena over the coming weeks. Like, Tape, the German international’s contract expires at the end of next month.
Find out who is in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here