Everton and Crystal Palace close in on McNeil-Johnson swap deal

Everton and Crystal Palace are in talks over a swap deal that would see Toffees winger Dwight McNeil move to Crystal Palace while Wales international Brennan Johnson heads in the opposite direction. Both clubs are aiming to complete the arrangement this week.

McNeil, 26, came close to joining Palace back in February, when the clubs agreed a loan-to-buy deal that would have become a permanent £20m transfer this summer. That deal collapsed at the last moment because the paperwork could not be finalised in time, despite McNeil having already passed a medical examination.

At the time, McNeil's partner, Megan Sharpley, criticised how the situation was handled in a social media post, highlighting the toll such last-minute collapses can take on players' mental health after being kept in suspense with no explanation.

The deal has now been revived, this time structured as a swap involving Johnson. The 25-year-old, capped 45 times by Wales, scored the winning goal for Tottenham in the Europa League final in May 2025. He joined Palace in a £35m move last January and was part of the squad that reached the Conference League final, though he did not feature when Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 to win their first European trophy. Across 26 appearances for Palace in all competitions, including 13 Premier League starts, Johnson did not score.

McNeil joined Everton from Burnley for £20m in July 2022 and has scored 15 goals in 128 appearances for the club. Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season, two places above Palace, who will play in the Europa League next season following their Conference League triumph. The two clubs are due to meet at Hill Dickinson Stadium on 22 August, on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.