Crystal Palace and Everton have struck an agreement to swap wingers Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil, with both players set to undergo medical examinations on Monday after receiving clearance to travel from their respective clubs.
Provided the deal is completed as anticipated, both players will put pen to paper on four-year contracts at their new clubs, ending brief spells that had grown increasingly uncertain for each man.
Johnson's move to Selhurst Park came only in January, when Palace paid £35million to sign him from Tottenham Hotspur in what was, at the time, a club-record transfer fee. Despite the significant outlay, his time with the Eagles yielded limited returns on the scoresheet. He featured 26 times across all competitions, including 13 Premier League starts, but failed to register a single goal during his stint. Johnson did, however, taste silverware with Palace, having been part of the squad that won the Conference League.
McNeil's arrival at Palace represents something of a delayed homecoming, given how close he came to joining the south London club at the start of the year. In January, the 26-year-old had reportedly agreed to move to Selhurst Park via an initial loan arrangement that was structured to become a permanent £20million transfer. That deal fell apart at the eleventh hour, however, due to paperwork issues that were not resolved in time.
The collapse of that transfer had a notable personal impact, with McNeil's partner, Megan Sharpley, speaking out publicly about the toll it took on his mental wellbeing. She wrote on social media at the time: