Everton and Crystal Palace have finalized a swap deal that will send winger Dwight McNeil to Crystal Palace and Wales international Brennan Johnson to Everton. Both players are scheduled to undergo medical evaluations on Monday to complete their respective transfers. They are expected to sign initial four-year contracts with their new clubs.
McNeil, 26, was close to joining Palace earlier in the year when a loan-to-buy agreement was reached, which would have converted to a £20 million permanent transfer this summer. However, that deal collapsed due to a failure to complete the necessary paperwork on time, despite McNeil having passed his medical.
The transfer has now been revived with the inclusion of Johnson in the exchange. The 25-year-old Johnson, who has earned 45 caps for Wales, previously scored the winning goal for Tottenham in the Europa League final in May 2025. He moved to Palace in January for £35 million and was part of the team that reached the Conference League final, although he was an unused substitute in their victory.
Johnson did not score in 26 appearances for Palace across all competitions, including 13 Premier League starts. McNeil joined Everton from Burnley for £20 million in July 2022 and scored 15 goals in 128 games. Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season, while Palace finished two places below them but secured a place in the Europa League for the 2026-27 season due to their Conference League success. The two clubs are set to begin the Premier League campaign against each other on Saturday, August 22.