Exequiel Palacios exits Bayer Leverkusen for Ipswich Town
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Exequiel Palacios has left the club to join Ipswich Town in the English Premier League, the Werkself have confirmed.
Palacios, who has signed a four-year deal with his new club, departs the BayArena after a six-year stay.
Upon the announcement, Leverkusen's managing director of sport Simon Rolfes explained: "With this transfer, we are fulfilling Exequiel Palacios’ great wish to prove himself in the Premier League after his outstanding spell in the Bundesliga.
“Pala has repeatedly demonstrated his exceptional footballing quality and, through his personality and demeanor, earned great appreciation within the team and throughout the entire club. We wish him nothing but the best for his time in England," he continued.
Meanwhile, Palacios himself stated “I grew up as a footballer at Leverkusen. The club trusted me, and I was able to develop everything that defines me on the pitch today. I will always feel connected to the boys, to all the staff and to the fans, and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for Leverkusen in every match. Thank you for everything - thanks to a great club.”
Palacios joined Leverkusen from Argentinian outfit River Plate in 2020. He went on to make 186 appearances, scoring 15 goals, while he was a member of the team that won Leverkusen's first Bundesliga title in 2023/24 alongside the DFB Cup.
At international level, he was a part of the squad that lifted the FIFA World Cup 2022, while he also featured as Argentina reached the final once more this past summer.
The 27-year-old is the club's seventh permanent outgoing of the summer, following the likes of Alejandro Grimaldo out of the door. With new head coach Carles Martínez at the helm, Leverkusen beat Wehen Wiesbaden 4-0 in the first round of the DFB Cup last weekend and will now travel to Elversberg on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST) to begin the Bundesliga term.
