Bayer Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes has ruled out a departure for World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios this summer.
“He will definitely stay,” said Rolfes. Bayer Leverkusen plan to go into the 2023/24 season with Robert Andrich, Palacios and Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, who is expected to join B04 for €15m.
Palacios, who joined Bayer Leverkusen from River Plate in January 2020, struggled in his early years at the club but has established himself as a key player alongside Andrich for Xabi Alonso.
With his aggressive tackling and ability to progress the ball quickly, Palacios played 26 games last season under Alonso, including a Europa League semi-final which they lost narrowly to AS Roma.
With a contract until 2025, Palacios will continue to play a key role for Die Werkself.
But unlike Palacios, three players that are expected to leave are Jeremie Frimpong, Moussia Diaby and Jonathan Tah and as reported earlier, B04 expect to receive around €120m for the trio.
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
