Everton and Crystal Palace are weighing an unusual straight swap involving Dwight McNeil and Brennan Johnson. The deal would be rare enough on its own, but the football case for it is blunt, too. Johnson has not scored in 26 Palace appearances, including 13 Premier League starts, while McNeil is in the final year of his Everton contract.

Johnson's Palace spell

Johnson arrived at Palace in a £35m January deal, but the output has not followed. He has not scored in those 26 appearances, and Palace never really settled him into a regular attacking rhythm. That is where the appeal of a move on starts to make sense for a club that may prefer to reset the position rather than keep waiting.

The wider Palace picture is not spectacular either. They finished 15th last season, which helps explain why a big January signing can be rethought this quickly if the fit is off. Johnson's 45 Wales caps are a reminder that the player himself is not short on pedigree, he has simply not turned that into enough end product at Palace.

McNeil and the January background

McNeil's side of the deal is more awkward, and more interesting. He joined Everton from Burnley for £20m in July 2022, made 25 appearances last season and did not score a league goal. That is not the profile of a player Everton will be desperate to cling to if a different wide option becomes available.

There is also the January history around Palace. McNeil nearly joined them then on a loan-to-buy deal that would have become a £20m permanent move, and he even passed a medical before the move collapsed because the paperwork was not completed in time. His partner Megan Sharpley later said the breakdown had hurt more than she could say, describing the collapse as an emotional rollercoaster and saying the football world can be cruel.

The straight-swap idea is where the reporting splits slightly. Some outlets have framed it as no-cash trade, while others have not been as definite. What does seem clear is the football logic: Palace have a £35m signing who has not scored, and Everton have a winger whose recent league return was empty enough to make a change plausible.

The only part that remains open is the structure. The names are there, the fit is obvious enough, and both clubs have reasons to consider it, but it is still talk rather than a completed move.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →