Crystal Palace

It is common practice these days for transfer fees to have performance-based add-ons. The theory is the selling club gains more if the player goes on to be extremely successful, while the buying club is to some extent protected financially if the transfer doesn't work out.

In some cases, the total value of add-ons is significant - Real Madrid could end up paying an extra £30m to Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham depending on how successful he is over the course of his career in the Spanish capital, for example.

In others, like the potential £1.7m worth of add-ons Brighton's £29.78m signing of Greece Under-21 forward Charalampos Kostoulas, are less significant.

Clubs sometimes say add-ons are 'easily achievable' or 'difficult'.

Easier-to-achieve add-ons can include things like making a basic number of appearances, or scoring a certain amount of goals. Add-ons can also be attached to a team's success rather than the individual player's - a club may agree to an add-on requiring an extra payment if they qualify for Europe, for example.

Others can be more ambitious - tied to extreme levels of individual or collective success, like winning the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or.

An example of the difficulty add-ons can present when discussing valuations would be the claims made in the Portuguese media in 2022 that the first additional payment in Darwin Nunez's £64m-plus-add-ons move from Benfica to Liverpool was triggered by the Uruguayan making just 10 appearances.

Then Liverpool boss Arne Slot rejected speculation he had not started Nunez in some games because it would trigger an additional payment.

Whether Liverpool paid more for Nunez, or club captain Virgil van Dijk - for whom they paid a flat fee of £75m to Southampton in 2017 - cannot be determined without knowing exactly what add-ons were included in the Nunez deal, then figuring out which conditions he has and has not met.

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Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Crystal Palace have had a verbal bid for midfielder Lamine Camara rejected by Ligue 1 side Monaco.

The 22-year-old was the subject of an offer reportedly worth more than £35m, which would have made him one of the most expensive signings in the club's history.

Camara, who has already made 49 appearances for the Senegal national team, featured at this summer's World Cup.

He joined Monaco from Metz in July 2024 for a reported fee of 15m euros (£12.8m), having moved to France after excelling in several prestigious Senegalese youth academies.

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Evann Guessand says it is "only the beginning" of his Crystal Palace journey after his return to the club on a season-long loan from Aston Villa with an option to buy was confirmed.

The 25-year-old forward spent the second half of last season on loan at Selhurst Park where he became the first player to win two different European trophies in the same campaign, having featured in Villa's successful Europa League run before winning the Conference League with Palace.

He made 14 appearances for the Eagles, scoring two goals, and featured twice for the Ivory Coast at the World Cup.

On the move, Guessand said: "I'm so happy to be here.

"I already have good memories here – but I think it's only the beginning. I hope many more are coming."

Palace Chairman Steve Parish added: "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome Evann back to Crystal Palace, after he gave us all a glimpse of his undoubted talent last season.

"We believe he can help us to deliver similar success this year, as we look forward to another exciting season for the club."

Crystal Palace's English centre-back Mofe Jemide, 19, is closing in on a move to Alvercain Portugal's top division. (Sky Sports, external)

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Dwight McNeil says he's "looking forward to the challenge ahead" after signing for Crystal Palace.

The 26-year-old winger joins from Everton on a four-year contract as part of a deal that sees Brennan Johnson move to the Toffees.

"I'm really happy to be here, and looking forward to the challenge ahead," said McNeil, who scored 15 goals and registered 19 assists in 128 appearances for Everton.

"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.

"I've always loved playing here [Selhurst Park]. I know it's a bit weird, but I have enjoyed them scoring because I do enjoy the chant that they have after they score.

"That's probably my favourite chant in football to be honest."

McNeil almost joined Palace in February, when the Eagles agreed a loan-to-buy deal that would have turned into a £20m permanent move this summer, but the paperwork was not completed in time.

Chairman Steve Parish said: "It is wonderful to finally welcome Dwight – a player with proven ability in the Premier League – to South London.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him in action at Selhurst Park."

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We asked for your views on the swap deal between Everton and Crystal Palace, that has seen Dwight McNeil join the Eagles and Wales international Brennan Johnson move in the opposite direction.

Here are some of your comments:

Crystal Palace fans

Sean: Glad to off-load Johnson (total waste of money) - but really not sure about McNeil. Is this really where we are setting our sights with a European campaign this season?

Griff: The way we play doesn't suit Johnson and, from what I have seen of McNeil, won't bring the best out of him either. So, I don't think it's a good deal for Palace or McNeil.

Hector: Great move. Johnson has been a complete waste of money and shows that making rash decisions in January doesn't usually pay off. Excited to see what McNeil can do.

Neal: This is potentially a good deal for both clubs. Johnson hasn't performed at Palace but can blossom under David Moyes. Palace can benefit from cover on their weaker left side. In terms of payment, there should be £10m coming into Palace to balance the deal.

Everton fans

Thomas: I want to get excited for this but having watched Johnson's highlights at Tottenham, his strength seemed to be one-touch, mostly back post finishes. Our team lacks creativity and struggles to create chances, so I'm not optimistic that he'll thrive here at all.

Greg: Johnson does not fill me with excitement and I would like to know where he is going to play. The one plus in his favour is that he has pace which we are lacking in some areas. If it's a straight swap we have probably got the better of the deal but we will see when the action starts.

Domingo: One in, one out. Debatable improvement in quality for either party. Johnson is not the most physical or best dribbler. But scored some important goals for Spurs and has more scope to progress and develop. Hopefully Moyes can get a tune out of him.

John: Excellent piece of business for Everton. Good luck to Dwight at Palace.

A rarely seen player swap deal has been agreed between Premier League clubs.

Everton winger Dwight McNeil is poised to join Crystal Palace, with Eagles forward Brennan Johnson going in the other direction to sign for the Toffees.

While such player trades between clubs are an unusual transfer window event, they are permitted - but they do have to meet certain rules.

The swap of McNeil and Johnson will technically be treated as two separate transfers, and will be part of the assessment of the Premier League squad cost ratio (SCR) regulations.

For example, Johnson cost Palace £35m, and his valuation as part of the McNeil deal would affect the Eagles' SCR calculations. He would need to be valued at about £30m for it to be recorded as a neutral transaction on the accounts.

But what if he is valued at less than that?

When McNeil's proposed move to Selhurst Park fell through in February, he was valued at £20m. If this is a true swap deal, and the two players are valued at £20m, that would be a £10m loss for Palace.

All swap deals also still have to pass the Premier League's fair market value (FMV) checks.

External valuation companies will be consulted on factors such as a player's age and performance level, as well as assessing deals with other comparable players, to determine if a deal tallies with market value.

The Premier League will make the final judgement on whether the deal passes FMV checks.

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Inter Milan and Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni, 27, and Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, 22, remain of interest to Real Madrid, who are intent on making three more summer signings. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

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Everton and Crystal Palace have agreed a swap deal that will involve Toffees winger Dwight McNeil joining the Eagles and Wales international Brennan Johnson moving in the opposite direction.

Both attackers are expected to undergo medicals on Monday ahead of completing their respective moves.

It is understood the wingers will sign initial four-year contracts with their new clubs.

McNeil nearly moved to Selhurst Park at the start of February when Palace agreed a loan-to-buy deal, which would have turned into a £20m permanent move this summer.

However, the transfer fell through as the required paperwork could not be completed in time, even though McNeil had already passed a medical.

But the deal has been revived, with Johnson, who moved to Palace in a £35m deal in January, now involved in the exchange.

What do you make of the swap deal? Is McNeil a good exchange for Johnson?

Get in touch with your views here

Crystal Palace have opened talks over signing Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara, 22, from Monaco. (Nicolo Schira), external

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Crystal Palace beat Fulham 2-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Cottagers' training ground Motspur Park on Friday evening.

Antonee Robinson gave Alvaro Arbeloa's side the lead, but Palace turned the game around with goals either side of half-time from Ismaila Sarr and Matheus Franca.

Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios were given their first Fulham minutes since their signing on Monday from Arbeloa's former side Real Madrid, while Adam Wharton, Chadi Riad and Jorgen Strand Larsen made their first Palace appearances of pre-season following their World Cup exploits.

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We asked for your views on what moves would you make or avoid to keep Palace's finances in order this summer. You can read detail on posts lower down this page about how the club are balancing the demands of Uefa's Squad Cost Ratio rules (SCR) given they differ to the demands of the Premier League.

Here are some of your comments:

Simon: We are now paying the price for an expensive January. Brennan Johnson hasn't settled. The way we play doesn't suit him. If Mateta leaves as well, unless he signs a new contract, then that is about £40-50m of income. We still have other forwards so we won't need to replace them.

Mark: Brennan Johnson, please somebody buy him, please.

Len: Strand Larsen and Brennan Johnson have not risen to the anticipated level. I imagine they are on good money. If we keep Mateta, Strand Larsen could go. Pino impressed as the season progressed so losing Johnson would not be a significant loss. We will see how the new defenders settle in - hopefully losing Lacroix will not be too heavy a loss.

Kiran: I think we should look at the Johnson deal to understand how much money we'd lose and while you're at it consider the sale of Nketiah as he's been a disappointment. Look at Gozo and get backup cover for Sarr and Pino as they are our points of weakness, plus another centre back.

Robert: To be quite honest, I think both Brennan Johnson and Strand Larsen (our record signings) were a huge disappointment. They need to be sold and make way for some better talent! As for Kamada, I'm thrilled he's staying. The second part of last season he was key to our success, whereas the previous season he wasn't focused enough and a huge disappointment!

Alex Howell
Football reporter

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This summer is a pivotal one for Crystal Palace with a new manager in Pierre Sage, a big departure in Maxence Lacroix and also another year of European football.

The Eagles are in the Europa League this season following their Conference League win last season and with that comes financial obligations.

Palace have to comply with Uefa's squad cost ratio (SCR) when trying to bring in new players during this transfer window.

The SCR obligations are stricter than those of the Premier League and Palace have to deal with the rules put in place by Uefa which caps spending on wages, transfers and agent fees at 70% of club revenue.

In the Premier League for clubs not competing in Europe, they can spend up to 85% of their revenue.

Uefa fears that smaller clubs will almost always face problems because they will have to up their spending to build a squad to play in Europe but - as per rules - cannot spend the same percentage of revenue as their league rivals.

The Eagles have not yet paid a fee for a player this window but are moving towards a deal for 19-year-old Real Salt Lake winger Zavier Gozo.

Palace have also produced a couple of bits of shrewd business in the market and have signed former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu on a free transfer and Oscar Mingueza after his contract at Celta Vigo expired.

There is also the possibility that the Eagles could sell one or two members of their squad to generate funds and there has been interest in Brennan Johnson, who only joined the club in January.

What moves would you make or avoid to keep Palace's finances in order? Tell us