Everton and Crystal Palace agree winger swap: McNeil and Johnson to switch clubs

Everton and Crystal Palace have reached agreement on a player swap that will see winger Dwight McNeil move to Crystal Palace while Wales international Brennan Johnson heads in the opposite direction to Everton. Both players are due to undergo medical examinations on Monday before signing what are understood to be initial four-year contracts at their new clubs.

The move revives a deal that nearly happened in February, when Palace had agreed a loan-to-buy arrangement for McNeil that would have become a permanent £20m transfer this summer. That earlier deal collapsed because the necessary paperwork could not be finalised in time, despite McNeil having already passed a medical. At the time, his partner Megan Sharpley criticised Palace publicly on social media, arguing that clubs should not be allowed to toy with young players' mental health through unfulfilled promises.

This time the transfer has been revived with Johnson added to the exchange. The 25-year-old, capped 45 times by Wales, scored the winning goal for Tottenham in the Europa League final against Manchester United in May 2025. He joined Palace for £35m in January and was part of the squad that reached the Conference League final, though he did not play in the 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano that secured the club's first European trophy. He failed to score in 26 appearances for Palace across all competitions.

McNeil joined Everton from Burnley for £20m in July 2022 and scored 15 goals in 128 appearances for the club. Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season, with Palace two places lower, though Palace will play in the Europa League next season following their Conference League success. The two clubs are due to face each other on 22 August in the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.