Everton and Crystal Palace have completed a straight swap that sends Brennan Johnson to Everton and Dwight McNeil to Selhurst Park, with no fee paid in either direction. Both wingers have signed four-year contracts.
Johnson, 25, joined Palace from Tottenham for £35m in January but did not score in 26 appearances in all competitions. He said he was drawn by the direction of the project at Everton. "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." He becomes David Moyes' fifth summer signing, following Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George and Christian Norgaard, plus the activation of Merlin Rohl's loan obligation.
McNeil's move completes a deal Palace agreed in principle and then abandoned in February, pulling out of a £20m switch on transfer deadline day despite the winger having passed a medical; his partner accused the club publicly of mishandling the collapse. He has now signed until 2030. "I'm really happy to be here, and looking forward to the challenge ahead," he said. "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." Palace chair Steve Parish welcomed him as "a player with proven ability in the Premier League."
Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season on 49 points, four clear of Palace in 15th, who reached this season's Europa League after winning the Conference League. The two clubs meet at Hill Dickinson Stadium on 22 August, the opening weekend of the new season.