Crystal Palace and Everton have agreed a swap deal involving Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil.
This rarely happens in the Premier League. No transfer fee is expected to be paid by either club – it is a straight swap. Both players are expected to sign four-year contracts with an option for a further year.
Interestingly enough, six months ago McNeil was supposed to move to Palace. The deal had been planned but collapsed on deadline day of the winter window.
McNeil’s girlfriend Megan Sharpley criticised Palace at the time, saying they had not reached out to him to explain the situation, and that it had affected the player’s mental health.
In that same winter window, Johnson joined Palace from Tottenham for £35m, briefly becoming the club’s record signing before Jorgen Strand Larsen arrived from Wolves for an initial £43m.
But his time at Palace did not work out and he failed to score in 13 Premier League starts, 26 appearances in all competitions.
Welcome to the Toffees, Brennan! ✍️🏴 pic.twitter.com/r3CIcOK8uJ
— Everton (@Everton) August 11, 2026
So why is this deal happening now?
McNeil, who joined Everton from Burnley for £20m in 2022, was entering the final year of his contract. Everton had been looking for a way to move him on and improve their attack. Johnson was considered a suitable replacement.
Johnson scored 18 goals in all competitions for Tottenham in 2024-25, having previously established himself at Nottingham Forest. Everton had tracked him before his move to Tottenham, and despite his disappointing time at Palace, they believe he can regain that form on Merseyside.
Meanwhile, Palace had already attempted to sign McNeil in January as explained. The move broke down then but they were willing to go for it again. In other words, this was a deal that suited all parties involved.
Dwight is here. ✊ pic.twitter.com/m7S9f9eSNa
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 11, 2026
Why are swap deals so unusual in the Premier League?
You don’t normally see Premier League clubs do a straight swap deal. Instead, you would likely see them complete two separate transactions, such as the one in which Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for £35m in 2024, but required Forest to sign their goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos for £20m if the deal was going to happen.
An example this summer is Aston Villa selling Morgan Rogers to Chelsea for £117m, but then signing Alejandro Garnacho on loan shortly after, with an obligation to buy next season for around £40m.
Clubs avoid straight swaps because they can involve difficult questions over details like player valuation, contract terms, agents’ fees and other accounting issues.
In this case, however, McNeil and Johnson have both been valued at the same level and are represented by the same agency, Unique Sports Group. No money is expected to be paid by either club.
What else should I know?
After Palace had discussions with Everton over signing McNeil again, their chairman, Steve Parish, is understood to have reached out to the player’s girlfriend Megan Sharpley to clear the air, after the concerns she expressed in January.
Parish later said in a statement: “It is wonderful to finally welcome Dwight – a player with proven ability in the Premier League – to South London. I’m looking forward to seeing him in action at Selhurst Park.”
Meanwhile, Johnson, who had a very poor time at Palace and is leaving just six months after he joined the club from Tottenham, said:
“There were a lot of reasons why I was so keen to join – the manager, the players, the direction the team is going in,” Johnson said.
“You can see this is a club that wants to go in the right direction, and I’m a player who wants to go in that direction, too, so it feels like a really good match.”
The two players will not have to wait long to face their former clubs. Everton host Palace on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
