Top 5 Bundesliga signings from the January transfer window

3. Exequiel Palacios, River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen, €17 million

Following in the illustrious footsteps of Ze Roberto, Arturo Vidal, and Charles Aranguiz, Exequiel Palacios is the latest exciting young midfielder from South America to make his bow on the European stage at Bayer Leverkusen. Signed from River Plate, the 21-year-old Palacios is a versatile central midfielder who can play in front of the center backs, in the middle of the park, and just behind the strikers with equal aplomb.

Palacios is no stranger to the spotlight - he was handed his senior debut by River Plate in November 2015, just a month after turning 17. By the 2018-19 season, he was an established first-team regular and even earned his first senior call-up to the national side in August 2018.

All told, Palacios contributed 10 goals and 11 assists from midfield in 77 competitive outings for River Plate, winning the Copa Argentina three times, as well as the Copa Libertadores in 2018. He will be looking to bring that winning mentality to Germany, helped by the fact that he will be greeted by the familiar face of his countryman Lucas Alario at Leverkusen, with whom he spent two years at River Plate.

About the author

Vaibhav is a European and international football journalist who writes post-match articles for Sportskeeda. A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, he boasts a total experience of 6 years and has worked for reputed websites such as Times Internet and Men's Health India.

Vaibhav's journey as a football fan began after he was left impressed by the fast-paced action and the gripping storylines of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He admires Kaka's elegance and determination, while his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scotsman's decision-making, vision and man-management abilities. He is also a passionate Manchester United supporter, and believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could create a historic rivalry similar to the Ronaldo-Messi one.

Vaibhav always cross-checks his information from a number of trustworthy websites and relies on his creative writing skills to produce compelling content. His exploits in journalism have led him to interviewing Indian footballers Robin Singh and Eugeneson Lyngdoh in his career so far.

Vaibhav’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment is Andres Iniesta's tribute to Daniel Jarque in the final of the 2010 edition. When not writing, he likes to read murder mysteries and watch stand-up comedy.

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Edited by Vishal Subramanian