
“As a child, I dreamed of playing for Bayer 04. I made it and I’m very grateful to the club and coaches who have supported me through all those years,” said the 18-year-old Gedikli. “Now it’s time for me to make way in professional football. The attractive offer from Turkey offers me a great opportunity.”
The centre forward made his first-team debut for the Werkself in the Europa League in 2020/21 making three appearances in group matches and he also played in the final Bundesliga match of the season at Borussia Dortmund. He earned his first international cap with the Germany U19 team four months later and has played four times and scored one goal for his country to date.
“Emrehan joined us when he was eight and now he is on the verge of a promising development in professional football,” said sporting director Simon Rolfes. “We wish him great success for the rest of his career.”

The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
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After six and a half years, Exequiel Palacios is leaving the Bundesliga and moving from Bayer 04 to the Premier League. The Argentine, who as a Werkself player won the World Cup with his national team four years ago and finished as runners-up at this summer’s tournament, will play for newly promoted English side Ipswich Town with immediate effect. The 27-year-old, whose contract in Leverkusen was due to run until 30 June 2030, joined Bayer 04 in January 2020 as a promising young talent. He steadily developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the German top flight.
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When Exequiel Palacios moved from the Argentinian club River Plate to Bayer Leverkusen on 1 January 2020, the then 21-year-old could not have imagined just how successful the next six and a half years would be for him. Pala, as he is known, had already won the Copa Libertadores – the most prestigious competition in South American club football – with River Plate. But there were still so many more trophies to come.
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To mark Exequiel Palacios’s departure, we’ve put together a compilation of the midfielder’s finest and most important goals from his six-and-a-half years at the club.
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