Everton have completed the signing of Brennan Johnson from Crystal Palace in a swap deal that sees Dwight McNeil depart for Selhurst Park.
Johnson has put pen to paper on a four-year deal with David Moyes’ side, while McNeil has also signed a four-year contract with the Conference League winners.
McNeil was close to joining Palace in February after a loan-to-buy deal that would have turned into a £20m permanent move this summer was agreed.
However, the transfer fell through despite McNeil having passed a medical because the required paperwork could not be completed in time, seeing him stay on Merseyside.
Johnson joins Everton just seven months on from his £35m switch from Tottenham to Palace, having failed to nail down a starting spot under Oliver Glasner.
The 25-year-old made 26 appearances across all competitions, though only 16 of those were starts, registering just two assists during his time with the Eagles.
He was, however, able to help Palace become the third English team to win the trophy in their first season in major European competition following their 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final back in May.
Johnson is Everton’s fifth summer signing after Merlin Rohl’s loan obligation was activated along with the additions of Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George and Christian Norgaard.
“I’m excited to be here. The club speaks for itself – it’s a massive club and one that when I heard of the interest, I immediately wanted to come and be part of it,” Johnson 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.
“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.”
McNeil, meanwhile, sees his four-year stint with Everton come to an end, having appeared 128 times for the Toffees in all competitions.
During his time on Merseyside, McNeil registered 32 goal involvements (15 goals, 17 assists), more than any other player since he joined Everton from Burnley in 2022.
His 184 chances created are also a team-high for Everton in that time, but he is now hoping to help Palace achieve more silverware after a successful period under Glasner.
“I’m really happy to be here, and looking forward to the challenge ahead,” McNeil told the Palace website.
“The lads have had some great success over the last two seasons. It’s something that I want to be a part of, so I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
McNeil joins Oscar Mingueza and Takehiro Tomiyasu in signing for Palace this summer, having also sold Maxence Lacroix ahead of Pierre Sage’s first season in charge.
And both players will quickly be reunited with their former clubs. Everton welcome Palace to Hill Dickinson Stadium on August 22 for their first Premier League match of 2026-27.
