Everton and Palace line up McNeil-Johnson swap deal

The McNeil deal is back on

The 26-year-old had come close to joining Palace at the start of February, when the Eagles agreed a loan-to-buy arrangement that would have become a £20m permanent deal this summer.

That transfer collapsed when the paperwork could not be completed in time, even though he had already passed a medical – one of the more dramatic near-misses of the summer transfer window. The deal has now been revived, with Johnson added to the exchange.

What each club gets in the McNeil deal

Johnson, 25, joined Palace in a £35m move in January and helped them reach the Conference League final, though he was an unused substitute in the 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano that delivered the club’s first European trophy. He failed to score in 26 appearances in all competitions.

McNeil, signed from Burnley for £20m in July 2022, has scored 15 times in 128 games for Everton.

McNeil’s partner Megan Sharpley had been sharply critical of Palace after February’s collapse, writing that it was unacceptable to “toy with” players’ mental health after something had been “promised” to them, according to BBC Sport.

Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season, two places above Palace, who qualified for the Europa League through their Conference League success. The two sides meet at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, 22 August.