United Kingdom: Premier League Rules for Player Swap Deals Explained As Mcneil and Johnson Set to Trade Clubs

Our Ask Me Anything team look at what the rules are for Premier League clubs exchanging players in swap deals. 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.