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Done dealUpdated 12:10 UK · 28 Aug

Exequiel Palacios to Ipswich Town
World Cup winner completes move

Bayer LeverkusenBayer LeverkusenIpswich TownIpswich TownFee€23mReliability100%
The story so far
  1. 27 Aug
    Deal announced
    Ipswich Town confirmed the signing after Palacios completed his medical and visa formalities were finalised.
  2. 26 Aug
    Verbal agreement reached
    Ipswich and Leverkusen reached a verbal agreement and Palacios agreed a four-year contract, before flying from Cologne to Stansted.

The move in full

Ipswich Town have completed the signing of Argentina international Exequiel Palacios from Bayer Leverkusen, with the holding midfielder putting pen to paper on a four-year contract.

Ipswich Town have confirmed the signing of Exequiel Palacios from Bayer Leverkusen, with the Argentina midfielder putting pen to paper on a contract running to the summer of 2030. Ipswich have not disclosed the fee, but it is reported in the region of €22.5m to €25m plus around €5m in add-ons. Palacios flew from Cologne to Stansted on 26 August, completed his medical the following day, and the move was announced once the paperwork and visa formalities were finalised on 27 August. It is the 11th permanent addition of Ipswich's summer window as they prepare for their return to the Premier League.

For Ipswich, this is about adding a proven winner to the middle of the pitch. New manager Gary O'Neil said he was 'really pleased to have added a player of Exequiel's quality', pointing to his World Cup success and major-trophy experience as 'vital' for the club. Palacios won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022, the Copa América in 2021 and 2024, and reached another World Cup final with his country this summer. Ipswich have described him as one of the highest-profile signings in the club's history, and he arrives as a battle-tested holding midfielder just as the club steps back into the top flight under a new manager.

Leverkusen lose a player who had been at the club for six and a half years, making 186 competitive appearances and scoring 15 goals, and who was central to their unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023/24. Sporting director Simon Rolfes said the club were 'fulfilling Exequiel Palacios' great wish to prove himself in the Premier League', while Palacios himself said he 'grew up as a footballer at Leverkusen' and thanked the club for his development. Leverkusen will play in the Europa League rather than the Champions League this season, which reduced Palacios' salary under a clause in his contract, and reporting in Germany suggested that, along with his ambition to test himself in England, made both sides open to a move once a fee was agreed.

Palacios' recent form has been shaped by a serious injury lay-off. He suffered a right adductor problem early in Leverkusen's Bundesliga game against Eintracht Frankfurt in September 2025, needed surgery, and was sidelined until January 2026, missing roughly half of last season. He returned to fitness in time to be involved with Argentina at this summer's World Cup, where his country reached the final. Ipswich are therefore signing a player who has had a stop-start year for his club but has continued to perform at international level on the biggest stage in the game.

At Ipswich, Palacios is expected to operate as the holding midfielder in front of the back four, using his passing range and composure on the ball to help the side build attacks from deep while also screening the defence. That profile fits the demands of Premier League football, where his experience of winning matches and trophies for club and country is likely to be valued by O'Neil as much as his raw output. How much football he gets early on may depend on how his fitness holds up after last season's injury, but Ipswich have signed a midfielder with a track record of performing when it matters.

What it does to the model

Bawler's ratings for Ipswich Town and Bayer Leverkusen are built from what happens on the pitch — goals, chances created, chances conceded and who actually plays — so this move only shifts the numbers once Palacios starts featuring in matches for his new club. Ipswich gain an experienced holding midfielder for their return to the Premier League, while Leverkusen lose a key part of their recent midfield; both sides' underlying numbers will be tracked and adjusted as the season's games are played, not on the back of the transfer alone.

FPL angle

Palacios · MID · £5.0m0.0 pts/GW projected

Bawler's FPL model projects Palacios at 0.0 points a gameweek at 0% ownership. It does not publish a before-and-after for a transfer, so the figure is his projection at Ipswich Town, not a delta.

How this is scored100%
  • Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

Sources

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Where this move lands

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